Depression during pregnancy

It is important to get the help you need if you suffer from depression!

Depression During Pregnancy

Some women experience periods of sadness during their pregnancy and some women will experience depression. The depression may be slight, moderate or quite severe for some expectant mothers. Women that are most likely to have depression during pregnancy already have a history of depression. If you have symptoms of depression while you are pregnant, it is important to seek treatment. If depression is left untreated it can worsen and may be harmful for both mother or baby.

Causes of depression are different for different people. Some women may be more prone to develop depression and others may experience life changing events that trigger the condition. Some expectant mothers do not feel good during pregnancy and this can lead to further complications. Death, job changes, family changes, relationship issues and other factors can all lead to depression.

Symptoms of pregnancy vary from woman to woman. However, some of the most common signs of depression are changes in appetite, decreased interest in activities that are normally pleasurable, changes in sleeping habits, fatigue, sad mood, lack of concentration, feelings of guilt, suicidal thoughts, restlessness and irritability with friends and family. Occasionally, some of the symptoms that women experience can be overlooked because they may be normal during pregnancy. Women that feel alone and do not seek help for their depression are more likely to not eat properly, rest properly and often lack prenatal care. This can be harmful to the developing baby's health and growth.

Depression can be dealt with in different ways and the condition is treatable with proper medical care. Often times depression can make you feel like there is nothing that can be done. This is simply not true and the feeling will get better with treatment. If women do not treat depression during pregnancy, they may be more likely to suffer from postpartum depression as well.

If you suffer from the symptoms of depression, you should contact your doctor to talk about treatment options. There are a variety of options available that are safe during pregnancy. Your caregiver may recommend medications that are safe during pregnancy. You should also consider what medications are safe to take after pregnancy if you choose to breastfeed. You might also be referred to a psychologist or psychiatrist that will talk with you and help to relieve some of the depressed feelings. You should not take any herbs or dietary supplements designed for depression without receiving consent from your healthcare provider. The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate these supplements and they might not be safe for pregnancy women or their growing babies.

Often times, women that experience minimal feelings of depression can overcome their thoughts by talking to friends and family. Having a strong support system can sometimes be all that is needed for some women. Ask for help around the house with chores, food preparations and other tasks that need taken care of. Eating a healthy diet and exercising during pregnancy has been shown to help relieve the symptoms of depression. If you decide to exercise, talk to your doctor about a routine that is safe during pregnancy. You should aim to do something physical for 30 minutes a day, three times a week. Exercising a little will give you more energy and a sense of accomplishment. Because stress triggers depression, you should try to minimize the stress in your life or at least learn to deal with it. Make sure that you allow yourself plenty of rest time. Getting a good night's sleep is important for a healthy pregnancy and can prevent the feelings of depression. Finally, make sure that you leave time for yourself. Take time to do things that you enjoy, even if you do not feel like it. More than likely, once you begin the activity it will become fun again. Be realistic in your expectations about pregnancy and new motherhood. Changes can be hard to adapt to but with time and support, most changes can be overcome.

More than anything, enjoy your pregnancy. This is an important time in your life. Write down your feelings in a journal and try to focus on happy thoughts, memories and feelings. Finding out what sex the baby is, feeling your baby move for the first time and hearing its' heartbeat are all exciting parts of pregnancy. Document your feelings and look back on them when you are feeling down.

Comments: Depression during pregnancy

Comments 51 to 74 of about 75.
Previous 1 2 3

annarelle - 250 days ago.
thank you bethies2nd baby iam realy happy to hear your daughters healthy and happy . am sory to hear that you dont have much support from your husband, they could help us soo much ,i dont think they realise that. wish you all the best t.c :)

Bethies2ndBaby - 250 days ago.
Annarelle, I can understand your concern. I took Wellbutrin with my daughter for the majority of the pregnancy and now they are saying it is bad. But she is 4 years old and bright as can be. She did not have any birth defects or anything. I have been trying to make it through this pregnancy without any ADs at all and am having a really tough time. I am considering going on Prozac but my husband doesnt want me to. He however is not very supportive when I am sad, so I dont know what to do..

annarelle - 256 days ago.
hi im 19weeks with my 4th child 1st son!! i had a hospital visit yesterday were i was told that i need to stop taking 'mirtazapine' as they dont know how it affects human pregnancy but in rats the babys were of low weight or died shortly after birth!! im a bit P.O as i have always told drs that i was on it and they said it was fine. I now ofcorse will stop taking it but am scared of what i may have done. Please if anyone has any information on this sneaky antidepressant during pregnancy.. please share with me xo

moma123like this - 256 days ago.
oh i just left a message on the 7 week,im soo moody it isnt cool.i dont want every one to hate me cus im so mean i have 2 babies and my youngest is 6 mths old and i got soo angry this morning when she cried i feel bad good thinng i have my mom to help!!!i sthe re any thing i can do?maybe get meds?

flutterflybaby1999 - 259 days ago.
How does anyone do it when they preg and find out their husband is cheating with their friend of 9 years? i feel like i could die.....

notsmithers - 265 days ago.
yes i agree therepy did more for me than any pills. i did counselling for bout 3 years and it changed my life. it was quite pricey but it saved me.i would recommend it to everyone. xxx

Mommyof2Kidos - 265 days ago.
I experienced depression after the loss of my 1st baby so I understand the issues. Besides taking meds is anyone going to counseling? My sessions actually helped me more than my medication in the long term. I'm not big on taking pills, and I felt my real feelings were being surpressed but that I might explode any minute. I would recommend therapy in addition to your current treatments. I wish you all the best!

notsmithers - 266 days ago.
i totally understand msfox. i have suffered fro depression for years and have been on meds. my doc told me to stay on them durin my pregnancy last year. i actually felt really good during the whole pregnancy and afterwards. now im pregnant again and dont feel the same. i get real bad days but its hard to be positive all the time. my situation has changed (loss of job, husband on 3 day week, no money etc) since. so ive tryed to turn it around by saying i have a right to be down at the moment and go through the motions by talking about it & not bottling it up, (like i usually do) and trying to keep active.

msfox53704 - 266 days ago.
I have had depression for twenty years and now that I'm pregnant I thought it would be different. I have been on Prozac for several years but now I'm on Zoloft. I just started a few days ago. Hopefully it helps!! I have so many things keeping me down. I been trying to stay positive but sometimes get lost in the mix!! :)

nicnmicsmom - 271 days ago.
sondramarie, from 7 weeks to about 11 weeks is the most difficult time. You have SO much progesterone in your system that you just won't be yourself for awhile. working, having kids, being a wife....are all very difficult while pregnant. give yourself a break. Put yourself first. Ask for help and be specific. If that doesn't work, make an appointment to see your doctor sooner than the normal 10 week visit and ask about antidepressant medication. I hate meds but it may help.

nicnmicsmom - 271 days ago.
sondramarie, from 7 weeks to about 11 weeks is the most difficult time. You have SO much progesterone in your system that you just won't be yourself for awhile. working, having kids, being a wife....are all very difficult while pregnant. give yourself a break. Put yourself first. Ask for help and be specific. If that doesn't work, make an appointment to see your doctor sooner than the normal 10 week visit and ask about antidepressant medication. I hate meds but it may help.

flutterflybaby1999 - 276 days ago.
What can the doc give me for this pain? I cant take it no more. It hurts. Im like a time bomb that wants to go off.

flutterflybaby1999 - 279 days ago.
sorry to hear that. I kind of felt the same way as you in aug when i lost my baby. i was in a rocky relationship but he said he wanted the baby. i didnt know how i was gonna raise the baby when me and my bf couldnt go a day without arguing. i guess i didnt regret the baby but i did regret being preg. after i lost the baby due to a mc, i regretted everything i thought. just try to surround yourself by loving people. you can get help by the state. i dont know what to say about your bf not wanting the baby b/c my husband left me 1 month preg. i hope for the best. and if not, you can do this. im doing it alone now, i dont have a job yet, i lost my insurance, i got kicked out of my own apart by my husband. you can get thru this. when you have your baby you'll realize nothing else matters. thats why i cant cry or grieve b/c i dont want my baby feeling pain. good luck hun

beautyfulmommy - 279 days ago.
im 7weeks & I dunno how my days I dont even care .. I experienced all day sickness all last week & I just stayed home in bed ; I dont even have the energy to go to class anymore. im sad & I often think about if I should really have this baby. I have no job. in school. . but school is pointless .. living in nyc & the economy is so fuckd up its hard to find a job & everything is so fuggen xpensive ! I have a boyfriend of 4fuckn years & he doesn't seem to think we shld take dis relationship on a real serious level.. he's not ready ; afta he knockd me up & have me struggling living in his parents house.. he's not fkn ready ! I've been tryna find a apt for the longest & its not working I swear I just dont wonna bring dis baby n dis situation full of struggle... & I cnt talk to no1 about this except for my friend peach ..who doesn't even want the child she's carrying...all my other friends speaking lovey dovey shxt but they r struggling & pockets fluffing up feathers ... & want me to keep my child ? for what ? for I can be miserable too ??! I was happy & now im just sad ..

flutterflybaby1999 - 281 days ago.
I was only married with my husband for four months when he told me to leave the house we had in both our names. My family lived in Texas so I went to be by my parents. His family puts me down and says I ran from my problems when he's the one that told me to get out of his familys life. He wanted this baby just as much as I did. He tells me I can only contact him if its about the baby. He doesnt give a crap about my baby if he did he wouldnt have left me, it feels like I had a baby with a random person. Then he said he hopes I have a MC because I dont deserve the baby. It hurts. His mom and dad always hated me because he'd cry to them about everything and complain about me and blame me for every fight. On christmas day I only had 1 hour of sleep and we had to go to his aunts. I felt horribly sick. He didnt care. Then he recieved a text from a girl he tryed messing with 1 day after we broke up while we were dating. all i said was who was it and he wouldnt tell me. so i grabbed his phone to see. he did the same to me all the time even if it was my laptop or my mom on the phone with me. Then I started browsing thru my texts to delete some because i had alot, i was trying to get my mind of of what happened. then he grabbed my arm hard and i said i wasnt texting anybody and the he did it again. so i ran upstairs and started crying. i could hear him and his dad talking crap about me. he went upstairs and told me we had nothing in common and he doesnt know why we married in the 1st place and that he was depressed the whole time. im the one who was depressed all he cared about was not coming home till he wanted to, hanging out with his ex's, and being by his friend 24/7. hed be on the computer or xbox for 12 hours or more every chance he could. when i was miscarrying in aug, i had to take a pill to make thhe baby come out. i was having a break down in the bathroom while he was on xbox live wit his friends laughing away. i hate him so badly and i wish i never had to see or hear from him again.

flutterflybaby1999 - 281 days ago.
Im 14 weeks now and ive been thru alot in the past two months. My husband left me on christmas and I had to move in 3 days to a diff state, so I had to pack up my life that I lived for 9 years. Im depressed but it isnt from my pregnancy. My last pregnancy with my husband ended in a miscarriage aug 08 at 5 weeks, I was very depressed about being pregnant. So I promised myself and my baby that I would never regret or not want my baby. Im not saying I lost my baby because I was depressed about it, its just something I promised myself. I dont know how im going to be after the baby is born. What percent do women get postpardon depression? Do you think my doctor could perscribe me med for depression while im pregnant? Or maybe I should just try talking to a counselor first.

mamabear7406 - 291 days ago.
I feel so low right now, this has been a pretty miserable pregnancy so far. I just feel guilty and feel bad about myself. I'm already a bad mother, I don't deserve another child.

~* Yummy Mummy Shell *~ - 294 days ago.
Feel so shit, dont even want my baby anymore! I dont realli care if ya think im nasty i already know im a cruddy mum...no one can make me feel any worst than i already do

prettyblueeyes - 297 days ago.
I will tell you this Ladies...depression can be normal BUT...if it is so bad that it's effecting your life almost everyday..GET HELP! no one will look down on you. I am on Prozac and klonopin and thank god cus with out it I wouldn't get out of bed...now my case is extreme most docs will not give you xanax or klonopin when pregnant but My father was killed 2 months before I got pregnant so the risk of the drug out weighs the stress my body is going through with out the drugs with Prozac...it helps a lot if you get the dosage rite. I used it with my last pregnancy and had had good results! it's like night and day! Most docs will give it to you if you need it~ OK hope it helps

mccraig - 328 days ago.
If anyone needs a friend or someone to talk to, I have overcome post partum depression with the help of meds and thereapy and life is much better. I know how dark life with baby can be at the beginning. I never thought it would happen to me. I have had a beautiful life, a great career, an amazing husband, but out of the blue, I felt so sad and helpless. But, things get better....I promise. If you need a friend, I am here. Leave a message on my page.

avah-grace,s mammy - 335 days ago.
i think i may be depressed i have no body to talk to my family dont call or visit. my friend havnt called or been over in weeks im 34 weeks pregnant im now on maternity leave i just sit alone day in day out. i cant sleep im having to force myself to eat as i have no appertite.i keep getting really panicy and im cry most of the time i left my babys father at 12 weeks because he was abusive ive never felt so alone in my whole life.

MODELMOM - 343 days ago.
me and my fiancee argue alot and his family hates me his sister wants to fight me and to top it off we are not prepared for the 2nd baby i have streesed myself out so bad i start hitting myself ive never had to deal with stress with my son or period in life it scares me becuz i dont know if my stress has harmed my daughter

mommyvbyrd - 345 days ago.
I barely found this site, and I just needed to vent...I'm having a very sad pregnancy.I am 18 and so is my boyfriend.We have been exclusive for about a year and 3 months, and I just found out recently that I am about 6 months pregnant(I thought I was just chubby before) We had talked about having a family when we were in love with eachother, and he always talked about how he wanted to be a dad. But now,since the baby is due in 3 months and he is speeding to graduate early,we hardly ever see eachother, maybe once a week.And we've only had sex twice since I found out I was pregnant. He doesn't want to touch my breasts because sometimes colostrum leaks from them, and even though I tell him itsnot milk, he still won't touch me the way he used to.My body disgusts me and I have stretch marks EVERYWHERE!When I met him I was 135 and now i am 154.I feel huge, and repulsive.He drinks with his friends all week long, because he says he deserves it for working so hard, yet he never spends time with me anymore,and before I got pregnant, we were INSEPARABLE.Now we canhardly talk without arguing about something small,and when he gets angry with me, he tells me how he's 'stuck' with the baby.How he doesn't even want it, but I won't agree to adoption.He chooses to be with his friends now more than me, and I feel like he hates me and the baby now.I tell him I want to break up, and he says there is no point because we will always be in each other's lives because of the baby we share. But when he's in a good mood, he'll touch my belly and feel it kick and even talk to the baby.I can understand if he feels suffocated, but it hurts me so much when he tells me he doesn't even want the baby.He has always been faithful, but I feel like he will cheat on me with a younger,sexier,non-pregnant girl.Someone he can have sex with without having a big belly to stare at. He swears he would never, but I fear that he will, and if he does I will never be able to forgive him.This relationship is so horrible right now, but I've been with him so long I don't want to let him go.He is a good guy,but the pressure of being a father that i guess hes feeling is putting a huge strain on our relationship,and I don't know how to get him to give me the time I need with him.I'm so upset....Please help me.

kris111 - 347 days ago.
lucy - hi. i'm new here and was just wondering around different topics and came across your comment. i am 9.3 weeks preg and trust me, i no how your feeling right now. i don't know anything about the cutting part, but i feel ya on the whole boyfriend going in the opposite way. before i go preg everything was great. now, it's like i'm chop liver. this has been going on with us for 3 weeks and i think i've been mean enough for him to see how i truly feel, although that was not my intention on being mean to him. i just wanted to comment and let you know that your not alone and things will get better. just remember that you are having a lil you and he's gonna need you more then anyone ever will. hang in there and good luck!!!!

lucy01 - 348 days ago.
hi guys.... i dont know what i am experiancing... it has me wondering ... do i really want this baby im 14 weeks and was excited about it and now i couldnt care less... i dont want to talk about being pregnant ... i dont even want to know about it. Im constantly crying or wanting to slash my wrists, im a ex cutter but this is just getting really bad .. and the dad isnt any help he wants his life by the looks of things and he turned around to me and said ' ur just 18 what are u going to know'. We are engaged but now its brought up mixed feelings.. I dont want to have this baby on my own ... i dont know what im doing someone please help