Prenatal and mental health
Motherhood is near to divinity and for good reason. We understand how women have been carrying fetuses in their womb since the beginning of time but it doesn’t make the process any less easy. Pregnancy is a rollercoaster of physical changes and emotional turmoil for the mother and it takes a great toll on her.
Pregnancy can be one of the best times in a woman’s life. But it can also carry hormonal chaos and create a lot of stress and anxiety. Postpartum depression is distress in new moms when their baby is born. The common term for maternal distress (prenatal and mental health) before the baby is born and postpartum depression after the baby is born is classified as perinatal depression.
Maternal mental health awareness week 2020
“Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week is a week-long campaign dedicated to talking about mental illness during and after pregnancy.” Maternal Mental Health Alliance
This year’s maternal mental health awareness week theme is ‘Supporting mums during difficult times’.
The awareness week is all about raising public and professional awareness in our communities about maternal illnesses. Thus, allowing pregnant women to get the right support and care in time.
Cause of Perinatal Depression
As mentioned, these depressive episodes start from the last few weeks of pregnancy and continue until a few weeks after the birth of the child. Over the past years, there has been a significant amount of public attention to postpartum depression. This helped identify that the mixture of biological and emotional influences in the moms-to-be may be the reason behind their perinatal anxiety and depression.
Symptoms of Perinatal Depression
Standard pregnancy includes certain effects and indicators of distress. For starters, in any of these, you’re likely to be sleepy, have some fatigue, undergo mental shifts, and gain weight. However, if you or your loved ones experience any of the following symptoms, they might be going through perinatal depression.
- Excessive moaning or weeping.
- Issues sleeping not related to excessive urinary discharge.
- Exhaustion or poor energy.
- Fluctuations in appetite.
- Loss satisfaction of once-pleasing tasks.
- Intensified anxiety concerns correlated with the growing infant.
How to Treat Perinatal Depression?
The approaches used to manage perinatal depression are the same as those employed by certain forms of depression. The positive news is that performance rates are generally even better with perinatal depression. Many pregnant women and new moms are assisted with medicine, talking therapy, or a mixture of medicines and talking therapy.
Medications for Perinatal Depression
Antidepressants are the most popular medication for perinatal depression. In fact, many doctors recommend selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors also known as SSRIs.
Talking Therapy and Substitute Treatments
A few therapeutic treatments have also demonstrated the considerable potential to support women with perinatal depression. They provide therapy and, in specific, acupuncture. In the case of acupuncture, a doctor implants thin needles into different areas of the body.
Notice that chronic distress can be more detrimental to the mother and child than the side effects of any therapy or drug. Family and friends will promote early evaluation and early treatment. It has been found that communicating with a loved one is the most beneficial aspect for these depressed moms. Now, make sure you let it all out in front of someone who cares profoundly for you.
How to Prevent Prenatal Depression?
This has been observed that mothers who breastfeed for at least 3 consecutive months have a reduced frequency and intensity of postpartum depression.
Perinatal depression is a real thing but it can be soothed with love, affection, and attention from your loved ones.
