Pregnancy and Depression
Pregnancy and Depression
Anyone undergoing depression will tell you it is never something we should look forward to. It is a feeling of dullness and isolation; it makes one feel so alone in the world. Additionally, it also makes you less productive; you will not be able to function well. It will lead you to a sense of incompleteness, and it will ultimately make you very unhappy.
pregnancy depression pregnant depressive
If you are a pregnant woman, you should never have to undergo depression. Pregnancy is a time for celebration and excitement so it should always be a positive phase in your life. However, it seems that hormonal imbalance can lead to depression during and after pregnancy, in fact 20% of pregnant women suffer from depression. Inasmuch as we want to avoid it, we need to be strong enough to face it head on.
Below are some of the signs that you might be suffering from depression:
• General feeling of sadness without any reason. Even if there is no reason to feel down, you seem to always find yourself sad and uncomfortable.
• Lack of sleep. When you are suffering from depression, it will be difficult to sleep because you always think about problems, real or not.
• Lack of self-worth. A person suffering from depression thinks they are not worthy of anything; they feel they should not be loved; they feel quite insecure and unsure of themselves.
• Suicidal tendencies. People suffering from depression often inflict harm on themselves.
• Constant loss of appetite. Being sad and feeling unworthy will only make a pregnant woman lose her appetite to eat. This can be really terrible because when you are pregnant, you need to eat in order to nourish yourself and your baby.
• Anxiety. This is probably one of the worst things that can happen if you are pregnant. You will no longer be able to function well and life would not be the same. You would always feel nervous and you will experience anxiety symptoms such as trembling, tachycardia and even breathlessness. You will also feel out of control.
If you notice that you have some of these symptoms, here are tips on what you need to do to overcome it:
1. Avoid getting stressed. When you are stressed, you will most likely be depressed.
2. Develop open communication. If you can talk about what is bothering you, or what you are feeling, you will be able to let go of the pain and hurt that is bundled up inside you. Suppressing negative emotions will only lead to stress.
3. Think positive. No matter what is going on, you need to be able to manage and control your feelings.
Although depression is common for pregnant women, it is still your responsibility to always do what you can to avoid it. Depression can affect the baby and because of this, it is very important that you take care of yourself so that you will not put your baby under such an emotional turmoil. Again, pregnancy should be a happy time for you and your family and never otherwise.
