A recent study showed that babies born to mothers who are depressed, especially in developing countries, has a 40 percent risk of having underweight or stunted growth than those born to mothers who are mentally well.

“Our analysis shows a positive and significant relationship between depression in pregnant women of child growth disorders in developing countries,” said an analyst in the monthly bulletin of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Even thought, the problem of poor growth of children will become more serious in pregnant women who experience more severe depression. Besides the issue of depression, estimated about 15-57 percent of pregnant women in poor countries vulnerable to conflict in marriage and domestic violence.

This analysis is based on 17 studies that looked at almost 14,000 mothers and children in some countries such as Africa, Asia, South America and the Caribbean. Including Brazil, India and Nigeria.