Dealing with depression during the period of pregnancy

Pregnancy poses to be one of the happiest times in the life of a woman. But for many of them it is a time of stress, anxiety or stress. As per medical experts   nearly 12 % of women struggle with depression at some point during the period of pregnancy. Basically this is a mood disorder and no surprise to the fact that this illness can go on to have an impact on pregnant women. The sad part is that this disorder is not diagnosed properly during pregnancy and many consider it to a form of hormonal imbalance.

If you make such an assumption about pregnancy depression this can be dangerous for both the baby and even the mother. Once you are able to diagnose and treat it earlier things are known to become a lot easier.

Could depression be a cause of concern during pregnancy and cause harm   to an unborn baby?

Depression if not treated can cause be a worrying sign for both the mother and the baby. If depression is untreated it can pave way for fatigue, drinking, smoking or even suicidal tendencies. This can lead to preterm birth or even developmental issues with your child. For depressed women they do have the strength to even take care of themselves, so no chance of them taking care of a baby.

For a baby who is born to a mother who is depressed would be less active, attention span may fluctuate and babies are more agitated to babies born to less depressed mothers. For this reason seeking right kind of help is important for both the mother and even the baby.

Treating depression when you are pregnant

The moment you feel that you are struggling to cope up with depression, the first step has to be in seeking help. Discuss with your health care provider about the struggles along with symptoms. They are going to want the best of your baby and might discuss the treatment options with you. As part of the treatment modules light therapy, medication or support groups are the preferred options. Even you need to pay due attention to post pregnancy depression as they can haunt back at any point of time.

A lot of debate is centred around the fact on what are the safe medicines to be had during the period of depression. Though studies reveal that certain medicines that are used to treat depression can cause issues with new born babies like heart problems, low birth weight babies. For a woman who is suffering from mild depression they can manage to deal with this problem by joining support groups. For others a session of counselling along with medication may be suggested.

A woman has to be aware that all medications can cross over to the placenta, and touch upon the babies. There is not a lot of information on whether the drugs are safe and pose risks to a new born baby. When you are treating depression the risks and benefits should be evaluated properly.