Six symptoms of prenatal depression and what you need to do about it

Prenatal or antenatal depression is something that has affected so many moms-to be during their pregnancy. The symptoms usually disguise under pregnancy hormones but if you assess the signs you’re having, you’ll know that what you’re experiencing is more than just ordinary mood swings.

Prenatal depression can affect all women, even when you’re generally a happy person. It can strike when you’ve experienced depression before or when you’re going through a traumatic event like an unplanned pregnancy and a breakup or divorce while you’re pregnant.

These are some of the signs you should look out for.

It’s normal to feel sad from time to time because of hormonal shifts but if it lasts for weeks and months at a time, you could be experiencing depression. This shift can come with crying spells, angry outbursts and moodiness that can’t be explained.

You stop caring about how you look and your self-esteem seems to have dropped significantly. During these times, nothing you do seems to make you happy, even those activities you loved. Some women even start having thoughts of self-harm.

You either spend your time sleeping too much or you’re not getting enough sleep at all. The two extremes make the stress worse and this will also leave you feeling constantly fatigued during the pregnancy.

You might also start eating too much or too little. Either way, you and the baby aren’t getting enough nutrients and both of you might develop health problems as a result.

You might start avoiding everyone including your spouse. Everyone seems to irritate you and the thought of being around others gets frustrating. The craving for isolation is also linked to the feeling of worthlessness which is what drives you to spend majority of your time alone.

Too much worry is never a good sign. Depression almost always corresponds with anxiety and you might find yourself feeling paranoid over everything.

At the end of the day, symptoms may vary from person to person but the bottom line is getting help to avoid the risks of not doing so.

Help

You can seek help from a therapist who specializes in women with prenatal depression. They have more experience in that area than any other type of therapist so they can give you practical steps on how to cope.

Another option would be talking to your doctor about possible treatments which might include medication to suppress the depressive symptoms.

You can also try and make a firm decision to work on yourself. Although it’s often hard, it definitely makes a huge difference. First, avoid isolation and get in touch with friends and family so that they know what’s been going on. Even though you want to be alone, let them visit if they offer to because that’s how they’re showing their love and support.

You should also cut down stressors like negative media which contributes a lot to motherhood anxiety. And if you’ve found yourself drinking or smoking, do all you can to stop before it’s too late.