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.