When your feelings of anxiety and sadness might be more than just the “baby blues” talk with your health care provider to address your concerns. Remember, you’re not alone. All women deal with hormone changes. It’s just a matter of how quickly our body readjusts or how quickly we notice the blues aren’t departing. Reach out to your support network. You’re not alone.

Concerns about Depression during Pregnancy

Pregnancy isn’t always a happy time. It can often be filled with feeling of stress, anxiety and worry. Although pregnancy has long been viewed as a period of well-being that has protected women against psychiatric diseases, approximately 10-20% of women will struggle with symptoms of depression during their pregnancy. About 10% of women develop major depression.

What is Depression?

Depression is a mood disorder that makes you feel deep sadness and can cause extreme dips in mood that can interfere with daily activities such as sleeping, eating, or work. Depression is a fairly common condition –but when depression occurs during pregnancy there is increased concern about the health of you and for the health of baby.

Depression is actually caused by a number of different factors. First and foremost, depression seems to be linked to a change in the levels of chemicals in the brain that control mood. When these chemicals control your moods become disrupted this can lead to depression. There are rapid changes in hormone levels during pregnancy and these changes are believed to be what triggers this change in these chemicals in some women. Depression can also be triggered by personal factors such as stressful events, financial troubles, interpersonal conflict, or by psychological & emotional factors as well.

What puts you at more of a predisposition for depression during pregnancy?

• • Having a history of depression, especially if they have stopped taking antidepressant medication while trying to become pregnant, or those who suffer from PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, a severe type of premenstrual syndrome or PMS) or a family history of depression
  • Limited social support
  • Substance Abuse
  • Stress or Anxiety
  • Ambivalence about pregnancy
  • Marital Conflict
  • Lower socioeconomic status (translated, poverty)
  • Children — the more you have, the more likely you are to be depressed during a subsequent pregnancy.
  • Childhood trauma, like death or illness of a parent or sibling
  • Constant fatigue
  • Uncharacteristic behavior
  • Thoughts of self-harm or suicide

What are some of the impacts of depression during pregnancy?

Depression during pregnancy not only affects the Mom but can also affect the baby. Research has found that women with symptoms of depression were more likely to experience a preterm birth. It has also been shown the greater the severity of depression symptoms, the greater the likelihood of early delivery.

Another problem with depression in pregnancy is that it can have a negative impact on good prenatal care, particularly in the areas of nutrition, sleep habits, exercise and following care instructions from the doctor or midwife. Self-medicating with substance abuse, including alcohol and cigarette smoking, also tends to be higher in pregnant women who report depression. There is also a higher risk of suicide which is important to be aware of.

Further, depression during pregnancy is likely to lead to postpartum depression in the mother. A large number of studies have demonstrated that prenatal depression is one of the strongest predictors of postpartum depression.

Once a woman has postpartum depression, she continues to be vulnerable to depression in her childbearing years. Women report that the most troubling problem for them is often the feeling of disassociation with the baby.

How Can You Know If It Might Be Depression?

Many of the signs of depression mimic pregnancy symptoms. Which can make it difficult to tell what is normal fatigue in pregnancy and what is depression. Depression and anxiety may go undiagnosed because women often dismiss their feelings, chalking them up to the temporary moodiness that often accompanies pregnancy.

This can lead to women not getting the necessary care and treatment they may need. There is also a tendency of friends and family to ignore the possibility of depression in pregnancy simply because of a misconception this is supposed to be the happiest time in a woman’s life.

Signs of Depression

• Problems concentrating
• Problems with sleeping either sleeping too little or too much
• Having headaches, aches and pains, or stomach pains that won’t go away
• Fatigue
• Changes in eating habits
• Losing interest or pleasure in activities you use to enjoy
• Feeling anxious
• Irritability
• Feeling blue
• Feelings of worthlessness and guilt
• Withdrawing from friends and family

What Should You Do If You Are Depressed?

Don’t be shy about letting others know about your feelings and possible concerns about depression. Women can feel guilty about these feelings and may not disclose these feelings to others. Depression can also drain your desire and energy pregnant women with the disorder and appropriate prenatal care may not be sought. It is as important to take care of your emotional health as it is to take care of your physical health. And in fact, it can affect your physical health and the health of your baby if you don’t.

According to recent studies, pregnant women with untreated depression are more likely to experience:
• Preterm birth
• spontaneous abortion
• gestational hypertension or preeclampsia

Depression that is left untreated and continues after delivery has been found pose serious risks for the quality of mother-child interaction, interfering with the ability of the mother to bond with the infant and for the infant to form a secure attachment with the mother.

Treatment during pregnancy is very important. You can start by reaching out to your partner, about how you are feeling. Talk with your doctor or midwife about your concerns. Developing a strong support network of your family, friends, and your caregiver is extremely valuable. Surrounding yourself with supportive individuals can be beneficial to helping you deal with what you are feeling. Talking to a professional or psychotherapy can be very beneficial, particularly since there are major changes going on during pregnancy. They can be put you in contact with those who can help you with addressing your concerns and assisting with treatment where appropriate.

Medications can also be used during pregnancy under the care of a practitioner who has experience with using antidepressants and other medications during the course of pregnancy and breastfeeding. Growing evidence suggests that many of the currently available antidepressant medicines are safe for treating depression during pregnancy, at least in terms of short-term effects on the baby. Long-term effects have not been properly studied. You should discuss the possible risks and benefits of antidepressant medication with your health care provider.