Pregnancy and Mental Health

S.,

Maybe your therapist is right, but not necessarily. I'll never forget when I was pregnant with my first and I mentioned to one of my friends how I was crying all the time, but "that's normal, right?" She gave me this odd look and slowly shook her head, saying, that no, she actually didn't have the kind of crying spells I was talking about. I would cry over nothing- I don't mean over something trivial like a Hallmark commercial, I mean I would start crying without any kind of trigger, and it would turn into sobbing that I couldn't stop. I remember almost throwing up after 45 minutes of weeping,and feeling too paralyzed to even go to my husband who was just downstairs.

Anyway, I talked with my midwife, who happens to also be a psychologist,and she took my depression very seriously, and told me that it was not normal, and could indeed be a precursor to PPD. Here are the steps I took; they were successful, I did not end up with post partum depression at all. I had no depression with my second pregnancy, by the way.

1. Be open about it with your close friends and family. They can't help you if they don't know to look for it's signs.
2. Talk with those close friends/family about how they can specifically support you.
3. Eat a handful of walnuts every day- there's something or other in there that helps. Wish I could remember what it was!
4. Try to eat salmon (high in Omega-3, I think) or take fish oil once or twice a week. There was a study done to look at the effects of eating fish on some other aspect of health and they accidentally discovered that it greatly reduced depression.
5. Get OUTSIDE for some exercise, regularly. I'm terrible at remembering details, but I think it has to do with seratonins you get from the sun plus whatever your body produces when you exercise. So go for a brisk walk, not a stroll.
6. Process with intent anything that may be causing you anxiety. Getting it out in the open and then addressing it is important.
7. Have a plan for post partum. Not something sort of vague, but specific. Who will be with you when you go home? How long are they available? What can they do to help?
8. I want to reiterate number one and number 2. My midwife had a very serious conversation with my husband, while I was present, that it was HIS job to monitor how I was doing. She explained that when someone is depressed, they may not know it, may not want to talk about it, or may try to minimize it.

I did all of the above religiously, in hopes that I would not need to medicate. It worked!

Good luck. I hope what you're having turns out not to be full blown depression, but just the normal anxiety that comes and goes with expecting a child. I'm sure you'll get responses from moms who say they cried at the drop of a hat because their hormones were out of whack, but that is different from having deep sadness.

Good luck to you. You can get through this.

J.

It sounds like you're already getting some good help, but I just wanted to add...yes, I would consider this a possible pre-cusor...just because "what goes up, must come down" as emotional as you feel right now, if it's hormonal, you're going to feel it as the hormones leave your body as well. If you love your therapist, great.
But, if you don't feel listened to,(you know since you're prego, and all emotional) it's okay to try someone else. A good therapist won't take that personally.
Exercise is SO important! I was feeling really awful with morning (evening too) nausea, and just sitting around while trying to watch my son, and I started doing just 30 min a day, either walking on nice days, or doing an exercise tape that's low impact on crappy days.
I feel so much better, physically and emotionally.
Also, my doc has me taking B6 for the nausea, and it's helping, but it's also helping me feel less anxious.
Take care!

There's no reason to think that you will end up with PPD because you are depressed now. I always got depressed toward the end of my pregnancies. Instead of a therapist, talk to your OB/GYN about the problem and see what he or she has to say. For the last few weeks of each pregnancy, my doctor put me on a safe anti-depressant. So hang in there. But make sure that you call your doctor ASAP. Don't wait around for it to get worse.

Being pregnant is the hardest thing for you body to go through. They have to understand that you are going through some changes right now. Emothions is the hardest thing that i had to deal with and i am still dealing with them. I am on antidepressants still and for a while i was wondering why and felt so different and was embarrased. Then i found out that my mother-in-law is still on anti-depressants from having my husband. So don't worry about it, they need to just understand you are about to have the best thing god has ever blessed us with. Don't be embarrased or asshamed.

I just wanted to let you know, I'm 37 and a half weeks, and I've been getting depressed on and off too. I also feel like I'm a total nag around my boyfriend, who, bless his heart, puts up with me. All I have to say is, hang in there. You are almost there! Go outside and enjoy this sunshine while you can, have your daughter, or your husband paint your toenails, and enjoy time before baby comes.

I remember having my daughter and having a little PPD afterwards too. It's even harder when you don't have any support. If you feel you need extra support, don't be afraid to ask for it. :) It will pass, don't worry.

Hi S.!
**Hugs** I know how you are feeling. I have stuggled with depression off and on since I was in middle school. My last pregnancy I was under a lot of stress and had to seek help for my depression and anxiety then after a few months things got better. Then about six months after I had my baby I got the baby blues. That didn't last long either and was taken care of by just talking with the therapist and no meds. I think that when women think about PPD they automatically think they are going to have thoughts about harming their children. There are different degrees of which PPD can take and I think you may even be less likely to get the extreme because you have already been depressed, and just know that Post Partum Sycosis is rare. What has always helped me is you have to think about the future. Just close your eyes and hold on tight and think about the day the rollercoaster stops! Do not dwell in the things you cannot control, focus on getting excited for your little girl's arrival! Go on a date with your husband. Get up, shower, and get dressed every single day! Do something special with your daughter. I know you probably feel it's impossible to even get out of bed, and you are so tired right? I know but I am telling you that these things with help you feel a sense of normalcy again (something all of us crave at times), you just have to DO IT! So when you are having a stronger day just do one...see how it makes you feel. Get lost in the good moments and bypass the not so good moments. If I am going in one ear and out the other, read it again and again and again until you are hopefull! I am here if you ever need to talk!

Take care of you,
J.

Believe me your not alone!! My first pregnancy was picture perfect, then with my second pregnancy I just could not control my mood or behavior(I had health issues helping press the depression on further) I was out of control and it was way beyond the "raging hormones" that pregnancy is always linked to. I finally broke down to my ob doctor and I asked if this was only a glimpse of what is to come post-partum and he said it could very well be, I was mortified I could not imagine getting worse...I mean I would have no friends or family left!! After a length emotional discussion me and my ob decided to start anti-depressants before I delivered, there are risks which are all pretty far fetched, in my case my depression only led into anxiety which leads to increased adreneline which raises your blood pressure. I was on zoloft for the last 8 weeks or so of my pregnancy and I had a very healthy baby boy, and the medication really mellowed me out, and it was also safe to take while breast feeding, I was on a low dose until I delivered then went up a little post partum and it dissapated the baby blues. I hope this helps!

S.-

Depression during pregnancy CAN be a precursor to PPD, so please continue to get the support that you need through therapy or reaching out to family or friends who understand. I found that my emotions were much more up and down with my second pregnancy and this lasted a bit longer after the second pregnancy (my second son is now 3 months old and I can still be a bit on edge sometimes). Everyone and every pregnancy is different, but the most important part is that you are self-aware and getting support now. If you don't feel you're getting anywhere with your current therapist, you may want to try a psychiatrist as they will be able to prescribe medication (once the baby is born) to help get you through the hardest times. Wishing you luck!!

It sounds like you're going through some tough times. it's good that you're seeing a therapist, they know what they're talking about. It might take some time for it to resolve itself after the baby is born, I wouldn't expect for you to just wake-up happy. Just try to focus on the good things, get out of the house, find a good book, get pampered, massage, hair, things like that. You will feel much better after the baby is born, at least you won't be carrying a 15lb basket ball everywhere you go! I try to tell my daughter that attitude is a choice, this is true to some extent, you can make the choice to actively do something to make yourself feel better. Even if it doesn't work, at least you know you tried. Hang in there, you'll make it! And you'll have a beautiful family to show for it!

P.S. Also, try to locate a comedy club, Laughter is the best medicine!

I can relate to your depression, I get the same trouble. The only thing I can tell you is to try yoga or some other relaxing meditational type exercise and going for walks, it helps.