Please Help - Austin, TX

it is my understanding that after a certain number of weeks, your HCG levels drop anyway. I could be dead-wrong, but I seem to remember hearing or reading that somewhere (I will try to look it up and post my findings)
regardless, I have battled depression since I was about 11 yrs old and I had 2 healthy pregnancies! depression during pregnancy is bad b/c sometimes a depressed woman will not eat enough or will eat too much of the wrong thing, or will not exercise enough, or not sleep enough, etc. and stress is definitely bad while pregnant (well, anytime, really!) b/c it CAN affect your physical health. that said, if you feel your depression is bad enough to interfere with your pregnancy, you should ask your dr. for a prescription for Wellbutrin. I took it during my 2nd pregnancy and was told that it is the safest anti-depressant to take during pregnancy/breastfeeding b/c it's so mild. there are still risks, but like I said, if the depression is that bad, the risk of NOT taking medication might be higher than taking it! that should also help with your stress level. also, I would suggest that you start walking daily. start with just up and down the street, then work your way up to around the block, then work up to whatever goal you would like to achieve. I would shoot for a brisk 30 min. walk at least 5 times a week. exercise helps tremendously with depression b/c it releases natural endorphins ("happy" hormones LOL) and it's a natural stress-reliever! and light exercise is good for you during pregnancy anyway!
lastly, find something (anything!) that will help you relax. whether it's a bubble bath with some candles, a hobby like scrapbooking, reading, or even something silly like coloring =) if it de-stresses you and helps you to relax, you will feel so much better on a daily basis!
it's true that sex is a great mood-lifter! and connecting with your husband during pregnancy is important, too. I would suggest him tagging along on some of your walks so you can talk and just be together. make sure he knows that pregnancy can make it harder to get aroused, so he might have to work a little harder, but if you communicate with each other, it should work itself out =)
I wish you all the best, and try NOT to worry about losing the baby! 99% of the time, miscarriage is NOT the mother's fault!
PS here is what I found about hormone levels:
"The hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (better known as hCG) is produced during pregnancy. It is made by cells that form the placenta, which nourishes the egg after it has been fertilized and becomes attached to the uterine wall. Levels can first be detected by a blood test about 11 days after conception and about 12 - 14 days after conception by a urine test. In general the hCG levels will double every 72 hours. The level will reach its peak in the first 8 - 11 weeks of pregnancy and then will decline and level off for the remainder of the pregnancy."
to read more about this, go to http://www.americanpregnancy.org/duringpregnancy/hcglevel...
hope this helps!!!

Wow, I am so surprised your doctor said that. Of course I don't know how far along you are, but most miscarriages are due to things far beyond our control. Women in war torn countries facing starvation and terrible living conditions often times deliver healthy babies. During all the awful times in history, ie. war, the great depression, the holocaust, somehow the human race has continued. I only bring this up to say that even though you may be personally going through a horrible season, that shouldn't actively cause miscarriage. I think the best gift you could give yourself right now is to be nice to yourself. I truly wish you and that little one all the best but worrying if you are doing something to cause miscarriage seems like the opposite of what will be helpful for you right now. I say do your best to relax, eat well and put your feet up when you can. Again, I don't know what the stress in your life so that advice may seem impossible, but you have to eat, so eat something good for you, you need rest, so whenever you can steal a few minutes, just shut your eyes and breathe. I am sure you know your name means princess, so now is time to act like royalty and take five whenever you need to:) I am pregnant right now too and reading a book called Fearless Pregnancy. It is written by a mom, a midwife and a doctor. It is a great read and I highly recommend it to you. I also want to say, if this doctor continues to say that you are contributing to a possible miscarriage for no reason other than stress, I think you might want to consider researching a new doctor. I wish you all the best and send you hugs!!! Hang in there mama:)

S.,

First of all I want to say how sorry I am that you are going through this. Life can be so stessful sometimes.

I think it is important to understand why misscarraiges happen. Sometimes it is overwhelming stress and the womans body just can't support the demand stress puts on the body and the demand of a pregnancy. When this is the case you can get counselling and take herbs and medicine's to try to stop the effects.

However, there are sometimes other reasons for a misscarraige. For instance, when there is something wrong with the baby the mom's body has a built in response to miscarry in an attempt to pass the baby that is not "normal" and has little to no chance of surviving.

It is hard to know which one is the specific reason for any specific woman. No doubt it is VERY difficult no matter what the reason. I, personally, find if a bit comforting to think that a miscarraige is God's way of sparing you from a lifetime of grief with a child who is extraordinarily challenged. I can't imagine caring for a child who suffers all their life.

I know this can not take away your concerns and fears of losing this baby. I hope it is just stress and that you can find a way for keep this pregnancy.

If not, know that you are not alone. Many women have gone through what you have. It is painful for sure. But you will be strong again.

Best wishes,

J.

Consider taking DHA supplements. It helped me.

Even getting massage might help you to reduce the stress levels, and anything you can do to improve the marriage will be helpful too. You might want to see if there is a naturalpathic doctor in the area who could give you supplements that would be helpful. It seems like you should find someone who has a treatment plan of some kind...reducing stress is a vague answer to a very complex problem.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!!!

Hi S.! First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy! The previous posters are right - all you can really do is do your best to take good care of yourself and put your feet up whenever possible. Whatever is causing you stress, you need to somehow either eliminate it or at least put it on the back burner for now so you can focus on taking good care of yourself and preparing mentally and emotionally for the journey ahead. I have three healthy babies, but my very first pregnancy ended in miscarriage at 11 weeks. It was heartbreaking for my husband and me to experience, but we got through it. We never were able to find out what the cause was, as is the case with most miscarriages, but hormones could have been a factor. Anyway, with my second pregnancy, my doctor said he was concerned about my hormone levels and actually prescribed me daily progesterone injections during the fist trimester. My husband administered them in my backside every evening. It was unpleasant, and there is no proof they actually did anything, but maybe you could ask your doctor about it. Oh, and about the sex thing... I doubt that there is anything about it that could help support your pregnancy (other than helping you feel happy and grounded in your marriage!), and it certainly can't hurt the baby. Go for it!

first, congratulations!
i'm no medical expert, but don't they make hormone therapies? my girlfriend told her OB/GYN that she was feeling a little more tired than usual and has a high stress job. a quick blood test revealed her progesterone is low. a pill a day and she feels great!

having sex while pregnant is ok (confirm with doctor)and the hormones released during sex are good for you (oxytocin is the same hormone for intercourse and lactation! go figure). But unless you are a superhero, you can't have sex all day.

Are you under medication for depression? many women are and have "normal" pregnancies, even those who have to stop medication during pregnancy. talk to your doc, and if s/he sounds like there's nothing you can do, find a new doc!

congrats again and good luck
K.

I had low hormone levels with my second pregnancy and my doctor sent me to People's Pharmacy to get progesterone suppositories. He said that I needed them because I might lose the baby otherwise. I did as he told me and now I have a happy beautiful 3 year old. It is not guaranteed to prevent a miscarriage but it is worth a shot. Considering calling your doctor or People's and discuss this option with him/them. Other posters are right though, if you are going to miscarry, you have no control over that and there is probably a good reason why the pregnancy did not last. I had a miscarriage after my daughter was born and while it was hard to cope with, I am relieved that my body was able to regulate that there was probaby something wrong. Good luck to you.

It sounds as if you are having problems in more than one area of your life. Have you gone to individual, or marriage counseling? Why are you and your husband not having sex? This is usually a great time for sex because you are already pregnant and don't have to worry about getting pregnant. I feel that if you can resolve your issues of stress and depression , your life will come together. Do seek counseling help. Just remember, you can't take pills for depression until after the baby comes. There are natural methods for fighting depression as well. One type of counseling that I found most helpful is called re-evaluation co-counseling. Look it up on the internet and find a class, or group near you. Good luck, J. K.