Pregnancy connotes a happy phase of your life, but for many women, a feeling of fear, stress, and tensions occupy a lot of significance. As per estimates available nearly 23 % of women are prone to depression during pregnancy. This is a disorder which affects a woman once in their lifetime. So no surprises to the fact that pregnant woman can succumb to this disorder. A sad aspect is that depression is not properly diagnosed during pregnancy and woman considers it as more of a hormonal imbalance. If you adopt such a stance it can be dangerous for both the mother and the baby. Depression during pregnancy can be managed and dealt with. But a need would be to seek help and support first.
Depression during pregnancy is termed as antepartum depression. It is just like clinical depression and in your brain chemistry changes are anticipated. When pregnant hormonal changes can alter the chemical balance of your brain triggering the occurrence of depression. This could be complicated by difficult life situations aggravating the occurrence of depression. If a woman is prone to depression in normal cases they encounter the following symptoms
- A sudden drop down of activities that they enjoy
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Sadness occurring at a persistent level
- Anxiety
Depression if left untreated can pose significant dangers to a mother along with a growing baby. If you leave depression untreated it can trigger premature delivery or even low birth weight baby. A depressed woman does not have the strength or desire to take care of a developing baby. Pregnancy depression has a profound impact on a baby. Babies who are born to depressed mothers are less active, become agitated at a drop of a hat. For this reason, it is important that a mother seeks help as early as possible if they are depressed.
In case if you feel that you are struggling to cope with depression it is important to seek out help first. Discuss with your doctor about your symptoms along with struggles. A health care provider would ideally want the best treatment options for both the mother along with your baby. They could provide you with light therapy or ask you to join some groups.
Till date, there is a lot of debate of the long term implications of medicine during pregnancy. Studies do reveal that some type of medications could pose problems with heart problems or even low birth weight babies. If a mild level of depression occurs a woman can cope up with it by being part of various support groups. On the other hand, if a pregnant woman is struggling with depression then medication would be a sought of treatment.
A woman needs to be aware that all medications could cross the placenta and then make their way on to the babies. Till date, not a lot of information exists on which medicines are safe for a baby to consume during pregnancy.
When you are dealing with major types of depression, risks and benefits need to be evaluated properly.
