Mental Health in Pregnancy

Many women have good mental health during pregnancy. Some women may already have a mental illness when they get pregnant. Others may worry about mental health problems they had in the past. Unfortunately, pregnancy does not stop people from having mental health problems, infact you may feel more vulnerable and anxious while you are pregnant and after the birth. Recent studies show that upto 20 percent of women suffer from mood and anxiety disorders during pregnancy and after birth.

Treatment of mental health problems in pregnancy and after birth includes psychological treatments and medications as advised by your healthcare provider.

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Feeling Down or Anxious

If you are feeling down doing your daily chores and fulfilling your set of responsibilities you should be offered support. To help you manage your feelings, this support could be from your consulting physician, psychotherapy, or other baby wellness classes.

The 'baby blues'

This is a time when you may feel low & stressful. It usually occurs in the first week after birth. It's a result of the normal hormonal changes taking place in your body resulting in feeling sad, lack of sleep and appetite as well as lack of interest in doing things.

But for some women, pregnancy and birth can trigger more serious depression. Depression generally occurs in 10 percent of mothers in the year following the birth of their baby.

So it is very important to look for some warning symptoms:

• Crying
• Feeling irritable & angry
• Worrying unnecessarily
• Panic attacks
• Feeling of unable to cope

• Feeling of guilt that you are a bad mother
• Dreams about harming your baby
• Feeling exhausted
• Lack of sleep

Although the best way to treat is to seek help from your healthcare provider; the Royal College of Psychiatrists have laid a few steps you can take yourself to reduce your chances of developing depression and overcoming it as well.