Mental health in pregnancy
Pregnancy comes up with a lots of physical or emotional changes. You can deal with those changes only by taking care of your physical and mental health. During pregnancy, just taking care of your physical health is not sufficient, you need to take care of your mental health as well. If you are mentally strong and happy, then you can easily deal with those pregnancy changes. But if you are not, then those physical and relationship changes can make you feel sad and depressed. Some women face little mental disorders which can be treated by little changes in your lifestyle while other’s feel extreme symptoms that need a doctor’s help. This article will help you understand the reason behind this, how to overcome these issues and when to look for help. Keep reading to understand this side of pregnancy in a better way.
WHY MENTAL HEALTH GETS AFFECTED DURING PREGNANCY?
Many factors and thoughts during pregnancy can make you feel sad, anxious and depressed during pregnancy. These include:
– Unplanned pregnancy
– Fear of labor pain and delivery
– Hormonal and bodily changes can make you feel anxious or worried
– Hereditary or history of any mental health issue
– Feeling of not getting proper support from your partner or family
– Thought or responsibility of becoming a good mother
– Worry of handling expenses
– Fear of your changing relationship with your partner after the baby is born
– Problems with smoking, alcohol and drugs
and many more reasons which may make you stressed out and affect your mental health during pregnancy.
LET’S LOOK AT SOME OF THE MOST COMMON MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS WHICH MANY WOMEN FACE :
Anxiety: Anxiety is a feeling of worry and fear that makes you stressed out. It is one of the most common type of mental health issues. Pregnancy causes a lot of bodily changes which in turn gives rise to anxiety and stress.
Depression: It is a feeling of sadness or unhappiness in which you reduce your interest in things that you normally used to enjoy. Around 10-15 % of women go through this problem during or after pregnancy. Feeling of irritation, sleeplessness, feeling guilty, change in your appetite, crying or harming yourself are also some of the other symptoms of depression which can affect you during and after your pregnancy.
Baby blues: Feeling of mood swings or sadness after giving birth is called as baby blues (also known as postpartum blues). It’s very common, as around 80 % of new mothers experience baby blues. In general, these symptoms fade away within a week or two without any treatment. But if it persists for more than 2 weeks, then you need to consult your doctor.
Bipolar disorder: It causes extreme mood changes i.e. sometimes you have the feeling of a high-energy maniac and sometimes you have a feeling of low-energy depression. It is a chronic condition and also called as manic depression. Some women experience this disorder during or after pregnancy.
PTSD: Post-traumatic stress disorder is a feeling of flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, or an outburst of anger. In general, it happens due to some traumatic or mishappening events. But during pregnancy, sometimes higher level of cortisol, which is the root cause of many problems, can also trigger this problem. Studies show that pregnant women have a higher rate of PTSD as compared to a non-pregnant women.
OCD: Obsessive-compulsive disorder affects around 1 in every 100 women during pregnancy. Some of the most common obsessions are exactness, cleaning, washing or checking. History of OCD, too much stress, fear of childbirth, a person with a high standard can develop the condition of OCD. OCD affects expecting women in the third trimester or after child-birth.
Eating disorders: Women who already have eating disorders are recommended to get treatment before pregnancy. Because pregnancy may increase their risk of miscarriage who have bulimia nervosa (binge eating followed by purging) and have small babies with small heads who have anorexia nervosa (fear of gaining weight and self-starvation). These eating disorders can affect your and your baby’s health if not treated on time. Sometimes, anxiety and depression can also trigger this problem.
HOW TO TREAT THESE ISSUES?
Many women feel ashamed of expressing what they are feeling, but here’s nothing to be ashamed of expressing yourself or seeking help. The sooner you start your treatment, the sooner you’ll feel better. Let’s look at the approaches which may help you to overcome those mental health issues which are as follows:
Adopt a healthy lifestyle: If you have minor symptoms, then you can deal with and overcome those issues by just adopting a healthier lifestyle. Eat a healthy and well-balanced diet with regular meals with lots of fruits and veggies in it. Try to stay active and do little exercises daily which will help you to uplift your mood and help in getting better sleep. Yoga and mindful meditation works wonders to de-stress and calm your mind. Try to laugh, spend time, and share your feelings with your loved ones. These little changes during pregnancy make a big difference, which in turn help to boost your mood and make you happy.
Medication: If your symptoms are major then never hesitate to take your doctor’s advice. These days, there are lots of anti-depressant medicines which are completely safe to take during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. But always consult your doctor about your situation and take the medicine as per your doctor’s advice. Your doctor will help you to diagnose the issue and recommend medicines which are completely safe for you and your baby’s health.
Talk therapy: Sometimes talk-therapy works great to manage your stress and ease anxiety during pregnancy. Talking with someone who understands you, supports you and guides you can make a big difference. One-on-one talk therapy can help you to vent out all your feelings and the therapist will also help you to come out from this situation.
WHEN TO SEEK FOR HELP?
Always take care of your mental health and never neglect your symptoms, especially if you are pregnant. You need to take the doctor’s advice if:
– your symptoms get worse with time and are affecting your daily life.
– you feel extreme mood swings.
– you are unable to deal with the signs of depression.
– your symptoms persist for more than 2-3 weeks.