What You Should Know About Prenatal Depression

What You Should Know About Prenatal Depression 1 Daily Mom, Magazine For Families

You have just found out that you’re pregnant, it’s a joyous time, a time to celebrate. However, you’re feeling anything but joyous. You’re anxious, stressed, sad and worst of all, guilty for all these feelings. Prenatal depression is not the blues and it affects 10-15% of pregnant women.

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Prenatal depression is just as common as postpartum depression, however not until recently was the medical community taking it seriously. Why is that? Because most professionals, believed that the antenatal hormones present during pregnancy, would ward off even previously clinically depressed patients from any bouts of serious depression. Since its discovery is fairly new, unfortunately, some doctors are still dismissing it as pregnancy symptoms. This is the reason that women are afraid, ashamed to speak up or are barely taken seriously by spouses, mothers, sisters and friends. However, there is some good news, you are not alone and you can get help once you know your symptoms.

What You Should Know About Prenatal Depression 2 Daily Mom, Magazine For Families

 

Symptoms of prenatal depression are similar to other forms of depression and it’s true that sometimes they minic first trimester symptoms from exhaustion to loss of appetite and change in sleep patterns but they also include:

  • Anxiety
  • Fear
  • Helplessness
  • Fatigue to the point of lethargy and hopelessness
  • Frantic
  • Sadness with continuous bouts of crying
  • In some severe cases, dangerous thoughts of harming yourself or others.

You might feel at times that you are stuck in another person’s body and are dying to get out. You can’t understand why something that you had hoped for or anticipated  has taken such a dire turn.
Unfortunately, some women are more likely to develop prenatal depression more than others, those are:

  • Women with previous bouts of depression
  • Those who came off of anti-depressants due to pregnancy
  • Women who suffered from post-partum depression in their previous pregnancy
  • An unstable marriage
  • Financial woes
  • Loss of a loved one
  • Women who have adverse reactions to birth control pills

 

What You Should Know About Prenatal Depression 3 Daily Mom, Magazine For Families
If prenatal depression is left untreated it can lead to postpartum depression and become worse and harder to treat.
What can you do to help yourself?
  • Speak up! Talk to your family, talk to your specialist and/or physician. No one knows how you feel inside but you. If you feel like you’re being dismissed or are not being taken seriously talk to someone that will take you seriously.
  • Get outside. Getting sunlight and exercise has been shown to increase serotonin levels (runner’s high) which in turn can alleviate some of the feelings you are feeling.

 

What You Should Know About Prenatal Depression 4 Daily Mom, Magazine For Families

 

  • Exercise! Again as stated above, exercise is a great way to increase serotonin levels, and workouts such as yoga are not only good for delivery but they help to put the mind at ease. (Make sure you discuss with your physician before taking on any form of activity)
  • Get help. Easier said than done, but consult with your doctor to see a specialist and perhaps think about medication that will be safe to use during pregnancy, if your symptoms are severe. The likelihood that depression might harm the fetus is far greater than a mild form of anti-depressant.

 

What You Should Know About Prenatal Depression 5 Daily Mom, Magazine For Families

 

Prenatal depression is not a joke. It is a serious illness that fortunately is getting more and more recognition. If you or someone you know is suffering from prenatal depression, locate your symptoms and get help. Symptoms of this sort of depression usually lessen during the 2nd trimester, but will return and could possibly lead to postpartum depression. Don’t feel ashamed for how you feel, motherhood is a beautiful part of life, it doesn’t have to feel like a burden or isolation.

 

What You Should Know About Prenatal Depression 6 Daily Mom, Magazine For Families

For more information on prenatal depression check out:

Public Health Agency of Canada
American Pregnancy Association
Wikipedia

 

Photo Credit: The Whimsical Photographer, The Art of Making a Baby, Free Digital Photos/stockimages, Free Digital Photos/Andy Newson, Sara Eden Photography

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Rockie
Rockiehttp://www.projectunexpected.com
Rockie, is a makeup junkie, living north of the border with her husband and exclusively breastfed baby girl! She dreams to one day live in a sunnier and warmer city, but for now, tries to see the beauty in snow and the cold weather.She loves learning new things and enjoys the unexpected surprises life has to offer. You can catch snippets of her life at her blog, Life Unexpected, and follow her on Pinterest and Twitter.

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