Effect of relaxation exercises on postpartum depression

This study was conducted to determine the effect of relaxation exercises on postpartum depression. Thirty postpartum female aged 20-35 years were selected from outpatient clinic of obstetrics and gynecology Ain Shams University, the study was conducted between May 2015 and October 2015, they were distributed into two groups equal in numbers: group (A) received relaxation exercises sessions in the form of meditation and physical relaxation for 45 minutes/ sessions, 3 times /week for 3 months in addition to home instructions and advice about controlling stressful conditions by practicing deep breathing exercise. And group (B) received home instructions for doing deep breathing exercise during stressful conditions. The result showed statistically significant decrease in depression symptoms in group (A) with the percentage of improvement of depression scale index (26.63%) and statistically significant decrease in depression symptoms in group B with percentage of improvement (4.67%). It can be concluded that relaxation exercises are easy to perform, safe, have no side effect on reducing postpartum depression, and elevate female mood and enhancing coping skills for stressful conditions.