Baby blues don't always wait until after childbirth

By Debra Hawkins

October 13, 2008 | From the time the pregnancy test comes back positive until the time the mother holds that little baby in her arms for the first time, pregnant women are usually described as ecstatic, happy and glowing. Although people expect pregnant women to have mood swings every now and then, to cry over silly things and have bouts of hormonal rage, they still expect pregnant women to be happy about their expanding girth and lengthening stretch marks.

Depression and pregnancy are often associated with pregnancy, but in the form of postpartum depression or depression caused by the changing hormones after pregnancy. Postpartum depression is a common post-delivery complication, but what most people don't realize is that depression is one of the most common complications during pregnancy as well.

A recent study done by the University of Hong Kong found that nearly one-third of pregnant women suffer from depression for part or all of their pregnancy. Depression tends to be the worst during the first months after becoming pregnant and the last months before delivery.

It would be easy to brush depression in pregnancy aside, putting more emphasis on postpartum depression, because depression after delivery can affect a mother's ability to take care of her child. The fact remains that depression during pregnancy can affect a baby the same amount, if not more, than after delivery. Sure, a mother cannot leave her unborn child neglected on the bed or as extreme as the side of the road since the baby is still a part of her body, but she can neglect the baby all the same, a neglect that can be harder to recognize than after delivery because the effects on the baby won't be seen until delivery. A fetus with a depressed mother can be born prematurely or with a low birth weight because often a depressed pregnant woman does not properly take care of herself, by either not eating enough, not gaining enough weight, not following medical advice, and an increased likelihood to use substances such as cigarettes and alcohol, both known to be harmful to unborn babies.

Although a woman may be be experiencing what many people call one of life's miracles, it often will not seem that way to her with all of her aches and pains from being pregnant. As much as women are said to "glow" when they are pregnant, most women suffer from nausea, swollen limbs, sleeplessness and achy backs. Other women get frequent migraines, infections and vision problems. All women experience mood-changing hormones -- enough to make anybody sad for awhile. As happy as any woman may be to be having a child, often the symptoms she is suffering during her pregnancy can get her down at times, sometimes leading to cases of depression.

It is often difficult for people to believe depression in pregnancy is as widespread as it is because they usually have not heard about it before. Frequently that is because most pregnant women feel ashamed to admit there is a problem and receive help. These women have been told their entire lives that they should be happy to be pregnant and children are one of life's few true miracles, so they often feel that being depressed when they are supposed to be happy is a sign that they aren't fit to be a parent - something they don't want to readily admit to anybody.

For years, doctors believed the hormone levels in a woman's body during pregnancy somehow made her immune to depression, only putting her at risk when the hormones left her body during the postpartum phase. It is only just recently that studies are beginning to show the rapid increase of hormones in the body during pregnancy affect the brain chemistry just a much as the rapid decrease in hormones after delivery.

Many women and doctors would often chalk up the symptoms of depression to regular pregnancy disturbances, including excessive crying, irritability and sleeplessness, all of which can be found on lists of things that can occur with pregnancy. Women are failing to realize that while some crying, sleeplessness and irritability is normal, being miserable for their entire pregnancy is not.

Having a child is one of the most life-changing events someone can go through, so it understandably creates anxiety and stress in most people's lives. What society doesn't realize is that by placing a social stigma on pregnancy, that it should be the happiest, most unstressful, fun time of your life, is putting more women and children at risk because women are unwilling to seek the treatment they need for fear of who will think they are an unfit mother.

The first step to treating the problems that a third of all pregnant women are experiencing is to realize there is a problem. Whether it is you, your spouse or just a good friend, the signs for depression should be watched for, including feelings of worthlessness, being unable to eat, being unable to sleep, being overly irritated (even for being pregnant) and loss of energy. These symptoms are harmful to anybody, but especially detrimental to an unborn child. The faster a pregnant women can be diagnosed and treated for depression, if she has it, the healthier mom and baby will be.

Once depression is recognized, it needs to be treated. There are many effective ways of treating depression in pregnancy, which include therapy sessions to help women talk through the stress or medication. Although many medications are highly discouraged during pregnancy, there are some anti-depressants doctors are willing to prescribe to pregnant women. Women need to realize severe pregnancy depression often leads to severe postpartum depression, which can do more harm to a child than being exposed to small amounts of certain anti-depressants in utero.

One of the biggest things that could help depressed pregnant women cope is acceptance and understanding from their friends and family. Women don't want to feel inadequate and under the current social stigmas that exisit. Depression is seen as a sign of inadequacy, which it is absolutely not.

The sooner society realizes that depression during pregnancy is very normal and extremely treatable, the sooner we will have healthier moms and newborns.

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