Prenatal Depression

5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PRENATAL DEPRESSION:

1) IT IS A REAL THING

I think it is common knowledge that when a woman is pregnant, the hormones go a little wild. I say the body is going through a massive transformation, as it is actually developing another human being. Prenatal depression goes beyond the mood swings and it doesn't necessarily feel like being sad all the time, despite what you might think. Yes, there is depression and tiredness, but the lack of interest I had was what was so completely out of character for me.

I felt a bit detached from her birth. It was as though I were going through the motions, but I didn't feel much of it. During my third pregnancy, I was diagnosed with prenatal depression although I can see in retrospect that I had a bit of it in all three. I always felt I suffered from postpartum depression after my second child.

Prenatal stress isn't just something that you can' get over.' No matter how hard you set your mind to it, it's impossible to move the horrible thoughts you are laden with. You know you're supposed to be happy and excited about your baby's birth, but all you can feel is a dull ache of disappointment and almost no inspiration.

2) NO ONE IS IMMUNE

Another misunderstanding I once had (read young and ignorant) was that prenatal depression only impacted those with an anxiety background, and so forth. The stigma surrounding mental health is still alive and thriving, only helping to exacerbate the problem. Any type of depression does not pick and choose. You can be the toughest person in the world,' get it together' and still end up with it.

We all get affected differently by birth. Some women claim they barely feel pregnant (although I still don't believe them entirely), while others like myself struggle through the whole way. The worst thing you can do is to keep that to yourself. Please ask for help. Talk to someone you trust, and then come up with a plan. Personally, I spoke to my husband and mother about how I felt and then went to my midwife with their encouragement with my concerns.

I am and always will be very thankful that they all took my feelings seriously. No one has ever made me feel insufficient for the struggles that I have been going through.

3) OTHER THINGS CAN TRIGGER IT

Increases in hormones are one apparent reason to experience prenatal depression but there are also other triggers. One of the most common pregnancy issues is morning sickness, which is a recognized maternal depression cause. With each pregnancy, my morning sickness got worse. It was horrifying with my third. I was so terribly ill for nearly half of it. I was actually so ill that we thought I could be carrying twins. Of course, due to all the potential complications that can come in twin births, the prospect of that carried with it a whole new wave of fears and worries.

There are just so many things you're obviously concerned about when you become a parent. I remember I was really worried about going into early labor because of all the contractions I got. A stay at the NICU has been a possibility that has given me great anxiety.

When you become pregnant life doesn't hold still. Everything, the joys, and struggles keep happening all while the body is experiencing a massive amount of change. I had severe morning sickness, SPD (dysfunction of the symphysis pubis), sciatica, and iron-deficient anemia. I was hardly able to take care of myself and yet I was still responsible for my two older children who were just 3 and not even 1 at the moment.

4) PRENATAL DEPRESSION AND POSTNATAL DEPRESSION

In recent times postnatal depression has become more talked about and I am so grateful. But, did you know prenatal depression increases your risk of developing depression after you've had your baby? I figured that's why I was looking for help because I recognized the signs of depression during my birth. I decided to get things off to a head start so they didn't escalate until my baby arrived. My third pregnancy was potentially my last, so it meant a lot to be a positive experience for me. I wanted to set up my postpartum period as much as I could for success. Postpartum depression can rob you of so many valuable moments. It is not fair and I just wish it wasn't the case. There's no clear way to control what's going on, but you can do your best to get yourself ready to be productive. When you believe you may have depression symptoms, then I'll advise you to contact someone again. Speak to a trusted friend, someone you respect, or a doctor. Let them exactly what you're like.

5) IT CAN GET BETTER

As I said before after my iron levels had increased my maternal stress vanished. The remaining challenges for my pregnancy remained but I was much better able to cope with them. So often we don't acknowledge exactly how ill we were until we are no longer. The clear comparison between good and ill really sheds light on how rough it was all. If you're reading this right now and feeling lost, let me tell you personally that you're not. Depression has an incredible way of playing illusions in our heads over and over. You're useless, you're bad, you're slow, you're good at nothing. Giving in on them is too easy. Please ask for help. Talk to somebody, anybody about how you feel. And then, once you have support, regularly start talking the facts to yourself. You are precious, you are cherished and you are powerful. You are a good mother and need you in this world. You're in this place. The sense of nothingness. The outcry and the anger. It's not going to be for now. You're going to move beyond that. They're going to get better. You'll feel joy again and because of what you've been through, you'll feel it all the more completely.

What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a condition that occurs outside the uterine cavity in tissue identical to the tissue that forms the lining of your uterus. The uterus' lining is called the endometrium.

Endometriosis occurs when your pelvis is lined with endometrial tissue on your ovaries, intestines, and tissues. Extending endometrial tissue beyond your pelvic region is unusual, but it is not impossible. Endometrial tissue that grows outside the uterus is referred to as an endometrial implant.

This tissue trapped in your pelvis can cause adhesions to irritation scar formation, in which tissue binds your pelvic organs together during your fertility problems Endometriosis is a common gynecological condition affecting up to 10 percent of women.

Symptoms:

• painful periods
• pain in the lower abdomen before and during menstruation
• cramps one or two weeks around menstruation
• heavy menstrual bleeding or bleeding between periods
• infertility
• pain following sexual intercourse
• discomfort with bowel movements
• lower back pain that may occur at any time during your menstrual cycle

What causes Endometriosis?

Your body sheds the lining of your uterus during a regular menstrual cycle. It helps menstrual blood to flow through the small opening in the cervix and through the vagina from your uterus.

It is not known the exact cause of endometriosis, and there are several causal theories, although no theory has been scientifically proven.

One of the oldest theories is that, due to a process called retrograde menstruation, endometriosis takes place. It occurs as menstrual blood flows back into your pelvic cavity through your fallopian tubes rather than entering your body through the vagina.

Others believe that if small areas of your abdomen turn into endometrial tissue, the condition may occur. This can happen as cells grow from embryonic cells in your abdomen, which can change shape and act as endometrial cells. Why this happens is not known.

Such displaced endometrial cells, like your vagina, ovaries, and rectum, maybe on your pelvic walls and on the surfaces of your pelvic organs. As a reaction to your cycle's hormones, they continue to grow, thicken and bleed throughout your menstrual cycle.

Many suggest that endometriosis may begin with misplaced cell tissue in the fetal phase, which begins to respond to puberty hormones. This is often referred to as Mullerian theory. Endometriosis production may also be linked with inheritance or even environmental toxins.

Treatment:

You want immediate relief from pain and other endometriosis effects, understandably. When left untreated, this disease will ruin your life. Endometriosis does not have a solution, but it can control the symptoms.

There are medical and surgical services to help reduce the symptoms and treat any potential complications. Liberal therapies may be sought by a doctor first. If your condition does not improve, they may then recommend surgery.

Late diagnosis and treatment choices in the condition can be stressful. Because of the fertility problems, suffering, and fear of no relief, emotional management of this disease can be difficult.

Pain medications You can try over-the-counter pain medication like ibuprofen, but in all cases, these drugs are not effective.

Hormone therapy Often taking additional drugs can relieve pain and delay endometriosis development. Hormone therapy helps regulate your body's monthly hormonal changes that promote tissue growth when you have endometriosis.

Conservative surgery is for women who want to get pregnant or have severe pain and who are not working with hormonal treatments. The objective of conservative surgery is to eliminate or destroy endometrial growth without harming reproductive organs.

Laparoscopy is used to envision and treat endometriosis, a minimally invasive procedure. It is also used to extract skin from the endometrial. A surgeon makes small incisions in the uterus to extract or burn or vaporize the growths surgically. Lasers are widely used to remove this "out-of-place" tissue these days.

Water Birth:

Water birth is the birth cycle in a warm water bath. Many girls choose to work and get out for distribution in the rain. Other women also decide to stay for delivery in the rain. The concept behind water birth is that birth in a similar environment is more comfortable for the infant and less painful for the mother since the baby has been in the amniotic fluid sac for nine months.

Midwives, maternity centres, and an increasing number of obstetricians agree that reducing labor and delivery pressure can mitigate risks of the fetus.

What are the benefits of water birth?

Benefits for Mother:

• Warm water is calming, stimulating and relaxed.
• The fluid has been shown to increase the strength of the female in the later stages of pregnancy.
• The buoyancy effect decreases the bodyweight of a person, allowing for free movement and new positioning.
• Buoyancy facilitates more effective uterine contractions and better blood flow leading to improved uterine muscle oxygenation, less mother pain, and more baby oxygen.
• Immersion of water also helps to reduce anxiety-induced high blood pressure.
• Water appears to reduce the hormones associated with stress, allowing the body of the mother to produce endorphins that serve as pain inhibitors.
• Water makes the perineum more flexible and secure, increasing the tearing frequency and extent and the need for an episiotomy and stitches.
• He is able to relax emotionally with a better ability to focus on the birth process as the laboring woman relaxes physically.
• As water provides a greater sense of privacy, inhibitions, anxiety, and fears can be reduced.

Benefits for Baby:

• It provides an amniotic sac-like climate.
• Ease birth pressure, thus increasing reassurance and feeling of safety.

What are the risks to the mother and baby?

Over the last 30 years, there has been very little work on the dangers of water birth as water birth has grown in popularity. Several reports in Europe have shown comparable perinatal mortality rates between fluid births and typical births. According to an article written by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, there may be a theoretical risk of water embolism that happens when water enters the bloodstream of the mother

If the baby has pressure in the birth canal or if the umbilical cord is kinked or bent, the baby may gasp for air with the risk of inhaling water.

This would be a rare occurrence because babies typically do not inhale until they are exposed to air. Through the umbilical cord, they continue to receive oxygen until they start breathing independently or until the cord is removed. The biggest potential risk is that as the infant is taken to the water surface, the umbilical cord will break. Caution can be used to avoid this by raising the baby to the head of the mother.

What situations are not ideal for water birth?

• If you have Herpes: Herpes transfers easily in water, so with your health care provider you should discuss this risk thoroughly.
• If your kid is breech: while water delivery was achieved with first presentations on the bottom or foot, this threat should be discussed in detail with your healthcare provider.
• If one of the following has been diagnosed: heavy bleeding or maternal disease.
• If you have multiples: while water births around the world with twin births have been positive, this threat should be addressed carefully with your doctor.
• When premature labour is expected: if a baby is premature (two weeks or later before due date), it is not advised to give birth to water.
• If there is severe meconium: it is quite normal to have mild to moderate meconium. Because meconium floats in a tub to the surface, your health care provider will watch over it and immediately remove it or help you out of the tub. Usually, Meconium washes off the baby's face and even comes out of the mouth and nose while the baby is still underwater. If the water gets contaminated and conception is inevitable, the mother will raise her pelvis out of the water to give birth to the child.
• If you have toxemia or preeclampsia, the risk should be addressed carefully with your health care provider. 

New guideline on managing iron deficiency in pregnancy

Pregnant women are routinely tested for anemia, as iron deficiency anemia is common in pregnancy. Screening for iron deficiency in the absence of anemia is more controversial. A new guideline from the United Kingdom reviews the scope of the problem and provides recommendations for testing and treatment. These include identifying non-anemic women at high risk for iron deficiency and either beginning prophylactic iron therapy or checking iron parameters and targeting treatment to women with evidence of deficiency; in anemic women, lowering the dose of oral iron if poorly tolerated and switching to intravenous iron if oral iron is ineffective or the anemia is severe (especially later in the pregnancy); and continuing oral iron replacement for three months and at least six weeks postpartum.

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