Pregnancy does pose to be a happy time in the life of a woman, but for some women, it could lead to a feeling of stress, anxiety and even depression. Postpartum anxiety treatment is to be addressed at the earliest before it goes on to assume alarming proportions. Numbers showcase the fact that nearly 23 % of women face up to the issue of depression when they are pregnant. Though depression is an illness that has an impact on a woman at some point during the tenure of pregnancy. No surprises to the fact that this disorder cannot have an impact on a pregnant woman. The sad aspect is that this disorder is not diagnosed in a proper manner and women tend to mistake it more as a hormonal imbalance.
Such an assumption could be dangerous for both the mother and even a developing baby. Depression, when you are pregnant, can be treated and managed, but it is important to seek out for help first.
More about depression when you are pregnant?
Postpartum anxiety disorder like depression is pretty much like a mood disorder like clinical depression. This involves a change in the chemistry of your brain. Once you are pregnant, the hormone changes could have an impact on the chemicals associated with your brain. This problem is compounded by difficult life situations that compound the problem when you are pregnant. On exploring some of the signs of depression include
- A feeling of persistent sadness
- Difficult to concentrate for long periods of time
- Recollecting thoughts of suicide or even hopelessness.
- To alter your food habits
Would depression cause any harm to the developing baby?
Depression not treated can have potential pitfalls for both the mother and even the baby. If you ignore depression it can pave way for premature baby, smoking and drinking. Even developmental problems and low birth weight baby can emerge. For a depressed woman, they do not have the strength and even the desire to care for their developing baby.
On the other side of the coin babies who are born to depressed mothers tends to be less active. They show a lot of agitation and lack of the attention aspect in comparison to babies who are born with active mothers. For this reason, seeking the right type of help is important for the mother and even the developing baby.
How to treat depression when you are pregnant?
The moment you feel that you are struggling with depression the first step would be to seek help. Do discuss with your health care provider about the struggles and even the symptoms. The health care provider wants the best course of treatment for both the mother and the baby and hence will discuss the treatment options with you. The various treatment measures include medication and joining a support group.
Till date, there is a lot of debate on the use of medications as far as depression is concerned. There are certain medicines which when used can trigger problems in babies.
