Postpartum depression is hardly a hushed-up matter these days (and about damn time!), but what about prenatal depression? Well, let me put it this way: Until I came across writer Jessica Grose's piece on the topic, it never even occurred to me that I myself might have suffered from prenatal depression, though I clearly did -- and my children are now 11 and 6 years old. That's because, as Grose points out, nobody ever talks about prenatal depression. Not really.
Oh sure, you get the occasional sympathetic mention of "baby blues" from your mom or a comforting pat on the back from some old lady who finds you sobbing over a particularly moving sympathy card in the convenience store, but for the most part, this potentially serious condition is shrugged off as nothing more than just another hormonal mood swing.
And that's a bad thing. That's a dangerously bad thing.
Because if we can't even recognize the existence of prenatal depression, how are we supposed to treat it? Serious questions need to be asked. Important issues need to be examined, then re-examined, and examined again. Such as whether or not the risk of using anti-depressants during pregnancy really outweighs the risk of, well, NOT using anti-depressants during pregnancy. (In my opinion, it's a lot riskier to leave depression untreated, but that's just me.) Not to mention the question of whether or not women really need to go off anti-depressants while trying to conceive (apparently this results in an almost 70 percent chance of relapse during pregnancy).
Dealing with depression during pregnancy is hard enough. Being treated like your struggles are just par for the course, nothing out of the ordinary, a case of the good old "baby blues" ... that's just too much to bear.
Did you experience prenatal depression?
Image via Chris Michaels/Flickr
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Comments 22
I know I'll survive... And these pregnancy hormones make surviving this affair all the harder. I love my boyfriend and I love my son. And I will keep trying to do what I can for the both of them.
I do not suffer from clinical depression. I did have both prenatal and postpartum depression. Prenatal iwth both during hte second trimester. Postpartum with my second. Though to be honest, how much of that was my husband's bad behavior with the second I will never know.
A low level dosage of antidepressants during the second trimester kept me stable and sane.
I suffer from Bi-polar disorder and made the decision to NOT take my medication once I found out I was pregnant (at 5 weeks), Its hard finding a balance of good meds that arent harmful IMO, but councelling helps and having a good open relationship with your doctor and a good support system at home does wonders. I do, however, plan on going back on my medication as soon as I give birth/breastfeed.
First poster is right and does sounds like a doucebag!
if you are severely an asshole you need medication you should really think about having children because one: youre an asshole and always will be there and no a baby will make you any less of an asshole <--- a slab of perspective lol
Clinical Depression can have specific triggers, usually related to feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy, there is no resson to think a child would be the trigger unless it has been proven without a doubt, to be a trigger for that individual for previous children.
Depression in pregnancy is an entirely different kettle of fish, and is not a sign of something wrong with the woman, she could just be having a tough pregnancy, lack of sleep, or be triggered by the hormones and be an extension of the baby blues.
I wouldn't worry depression doesn't mean your a bad parent or even an incapable one, I'm sick of so called proffessionals telling us if you have A B and C then X Y and Z it's not as simple as that and everybody is different.