The way a mother holds her baby can tell about her mental health, scientists state.

Women cradling a baby with their right arm are more inclined to stress.

British researchers say the discovery could help identify women at risk of depression.

In the past, scientists have found that most parents cradle children on their left-hand side, regardless of whether they are right or lefthanded.

The left side of the body is controlled by the right half of the brain dealing with emotions and intuition.

The latest study investogated behaviour of 79 new mothers in their own homes.

Mothers were asked to take their babies and cradle them in their arms naturally, and were also quizzed on their mental state.
Forty-four of the mothers were showing signs of baby-related stress.

Among these women, 32% used their right arm to hold their child.

Of women who reported no symptoms of stress or depression, just 14% cradled their babies on their right side.

However, scientists say the results are statistically significant.

Lead researcher said the discovery could help better identify mothers in a fragile mental state.

There was another study published earlier this year in Switzerland.

In that experiment, female volunteers were asked to plunge their hands into a bucket of freezing water before picking up a doll to cuddle.

The cold water was used to put the women under stress without causing any long-term damage.
The Swiss researchers found that the stressed women were far more likely to hold the dolls in their right hands than the women not put through the cold water treatment.

Doctors said the reasons why stressed mothers were more likely to cuddle on the right were unclear.
They also carried out an experiment looking at women taking babies for vaccination.

Many mothers do not realise they are suffering from stress, - said doctors.

Such feelings can have a huge impact on the relationship between the mother and baby and on the family as a whole. If this stress develops into depression, then the situation can be even worse.