Depression Can Occur Before Your Birth | River Root Counseling, LLC

Depression Can Occur Before Your Birth

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Postpartum Depression Gets All the Buzz

Who hasn’t heard of postpartum depression? Most women are familiar with postpartum depression and effects hormonal changes can have after a birth. New moms may experience “baby blues” after childbirth which can include mood swings, crying bouts, anxiety, and sleep disruption. These feelings can persist days and weeks after delivery. As many as one in five mothers experience more severe, long-lasting  depression called postpartum depression, and fewer an extreme mood disorder called postpartum psychosis.

But did you know it is not uncommon for depression and anxiety to occur well before birth of your child? The term perinatal depression describes depression that occurs during or after pregnancy and includes prenatal depression, that occurs before birth of a child, as well as postpartum depression.

Perinatal Depression Includes Prenatal and Postpartum Depression

Perinatal depression is a real mental illness and affects women of every race, age, income, culture, and education level. It is caused by a combination of factors both genetic and environmental. Situational stress such as pressure of work and family, physical and emotional challenges with a pregnancy and caring for children, changes in hormone levels that occur during pregnancy, and genetic history of depression or bipolar disorder, can all be contributors.

Through TV and films like Jane the Virgin and When the Bough Breaks, Hollywood has sought to raise awareness of postpartum depression and psychosis, remove stigma, and open dialogue about this mental illness. But less attention has been paid to prenatal depression and the effect of this disorder on a woman, and her child, before birth.

Prenatal Depression

Many women will experience ups and downs during pregnancy, feeling blue, sad, angry, or anxious intermittently or for a couple of days. But if you are experiencing these feelings on a regular basis, it could be prenatal depression. Symptoms can include prolonged experiences with one or more of the following:

  • mood swings
  • feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and being overwhelmed
  • irritability
  • frequent crying
  • lack of energy or motivation
  • appetite changes, either wanting to eat all the time or not at all
  • sleep problems, sleeping too little or too much
  • difficulty with focus or decision making
  • memory problems
  • feelings of guilt and worthlessness
  • loss of interest in things you once enjoyed or finding these things no longer make you happy
  • desiring isolation from friends and family
  • physical symptoms like head and body aches, pains, and stomach problems, unlike the nausea of morning sickness

Normally depression is treated with a combination of medication and therapy. With prenatal depression the potential risk of drug effects on the pregnancy and baby must be weighed. Whether or not you choose to take medication it is good to get support through talk therapy with a professional, be it a social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist, or in a group setting. Untreated prenatal depression can cause harm to you and your baby if you are not getting proper nutrition and care. This can lead to premature birth and a low birth weight baby.

Treatment Options for Prenatal and Postpartum Depression

Methods used to treat perinatal depression, including prenatal and postpartum depression, are the same ones used to treat other types of depression. The positive news is that success rates are higher for perinatal depression, between 80 and 90 percent, than general depression. Medications, talk therapy, or a combination of both, help most women.

Antidepressants are the most common drug treatment for perinatal depression. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are most often prescribed. Studies in the U.S. and U.K. have determined these are generally safe for pregnant women, nursing mothers, and their babies. There has been no evidence of long-term negative effects on a child when antidepressant drugs were taken during pregnancy. But there is a chance of drug withdrawal complications in newborns which can include jitteriness or irritability, and in rare cases a risk of seizure. You and your doctor should discuss risk factors.

Talk therapy has proven effective for perinatal depression. In addition, successful alternative treatments include massage and acupuncture. A study at Stanford University found 63 percent of women who received depression-specific acupuncture responded favorably.

Beyond consulting your doctor, seeking therapy or other alternative treatment, there are several things you can do to help yourself feel better. These include:

  • getting quality sleep if possible
  • regular exercise if appropriate (consult your doctor)
  • eating healthy meals
  • remembering that you don’t have to be everything to everyone
  • giving yourself permission to say no
  • asking for help
  • self-care like baths, reading, or meditation
  • making time to do things you enjoy
  • talking with other pregnant women and/or joining a support group

Prenatal depression is treatable and in many cases improvement in symptoms with medication can outweigh harm caused by non-treatment. Whatever path you choose, make sure you have support from your significant other, family, and/or friends.

If you are experiencing thoughts of hurting yourself you can talk to someone live at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or live chat online at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/. If you are in immediate danger call 911.

Treating women during this vulnerable time in their lives is my passion and specialty. If you’d like to schedule a free consultation please fill out this contact form.

Yours in health,

Danielle Older

MSW, LISW, CCTP

River Root Counseling, LLC

More about me…

My passion lies with supporting women especially through fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum experiences. I began my career in counseling supporting children victims and teaching personal body safety in schools. After this role, I worked with adult victims, counseling them after incidences of trauma. This position led me to work with women assault victims, many who were pregnant or new mothers. Becoming a mother myself, and experiencing pregnancy with family and friends, instilled a deep devotion to aid women, particularly mothers, in improving their mental health.

*Photo credits: Mom with baby image Photo by Sergiu Vălenaș on Unsplash, Pregnant mom outside on path Photo by Jordan Bauer on Unsplash