Do I Need Health Insurance To Receive This Service
The referral service is free of charge. If you have no insurance or are underinsured, we will refer you to your state office, which is responsible for state-funded treatment programs. In addition, we can often refer you to facilities that charge on a sliding fee scale or accept Medicare or Medicaid. If you have health insurance, you are encouraged to contact your insurer for a list of participating health care providers and facilities.
Risk Factors For Maternal Depression
The most common risk factor for maternal depression is a previous episode of prenatal or postpartum depression. . Other factors associated with maternal depression include:
- personal or family history of anxiety, depression or other mood disorders, including prenatal or postpartum depression
- current or past history of alcohol or other substance abuse
- life stress, poor quality or no relationship with the baby’s father, lack of social support or absence of a community network
- unplanned or unwanted pregnancy
- difficult pregnancy or delivery, including preterm birth, multiple births, miscarriage or stillbirth, birth defects or disabilities or other pregnancy complications
- white race and non-Hispanic ethnicity
- maternal age < 24 years of age
- lower maternal socioeconomic status.
While the above factors have been associated with a higher risk for maternal depression, depression also occurs among women without these risk factors.
Can Depression During Pregnancy Cause Harm To My Baby
Depression that is not treated can have potential dangerous risks to the mother and baby. Untreated depression can lead to poor nutrition, drinking, smoking, and suicidal behavior, which can then cause premature birth, low birth weight, and developmental problems. A woman who is depressed often does not have the strength or desire to adequately care for herself or her developing baby.Babies born to mothers who are depressed may be less active, show less attention and be more agitated than babies born to moms who are not depressed. This is why getting the right help is important for both mom and baby.
- Light therapy
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What Causes Antenatal Depression
Antenatal depression can be caused by a hormonal imbalance. Although, because all women experience hormonal changes when theyre pregnant, thats unlikely to be the only cause .
Other things that may play a part are:
- previous miscarriages or difficult birth experiences
- history of depression
- isolation, poor support, stressful living conditions or major life events
- unplanned pregnancy
- difficult childhood experiences and poor self-esteem
- struggling with a pressure to do things right.
Signs Symptoms And Treatment
Pregnancy is supposed to be one of the happiest times of a womans life, but for many women, this is a time of confusion, fear, stress, and even depression. According to The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists , between 14-23% of women will struggle with some symptoms of depression during pregnancy.Depression is a mood disorder that affects 1 in 4 women at some point during their lifetime, so it should be no surprise that this illness can also touch women who are pregnant. But all too often, depression is not diagnosed properly during pregnancy because people think it is just another type of hormonal imbalance.This assumption can be dangerous for the mother and the unborn baby. Depression in pregnancy is an illness that can be treated and managed however, it is important to seek out help and support first.
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Depression In Pregnant Women And Mothers: How It Affects You And Your Child
Depression is an illness that affects the way people think, act and feel. About 6% of women will experience depression at some point in their lives. This number increases to about 10% for women who are pregnant.
Women are more at risk of depression while they are pregnant, and during the weeks and months after having a baby. During pregnancy, hormone changes can affect brain chemicals and cause depression and anxiety. Sometimes, pregnant women dont realize they are depressed. They may think they have symptoms of pregnancy or the baby blues, which many women experience right after birth.
Its also important to know that as many as 10% of fathers experience postpartum depression after the birth of a child.
The good news is that depression can be treated. Read the signs listed below, and talk to your doctor if you have any of them. Let your partner and family members know the signs so that they can also be aware.
If you dont get help, depression can cause problems for you and your baby.
What Is Perinatal Depression
Perinatal depression is a mood disorder that can affect women during pregnancy and after childbirth. The word perinatal refers to the time before and after the birth of a child. Perinatal depression includes depression that begins during pregnancy and depression that begins after the baby is born . Mothers with perinatal depression experience feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety, and fatigue that may make it difficult for them to carry out daily tasks, including caring for themselves or others.
How is postpartum depression different from the baby blues? The baby blues is a term used to describe mild mood changes and feelings of worry, unhappiness, and exhaustion that many women sometimes experience in the first 2 weeks after having a baby. Babies require around-the-clock care, so its normal for mothers to feel tired or overwhelmed sometimes. If mood changes and feelings of anxiety or unhappiness are severe, or if they last longer than 2 weeks, a woman may have postpartum depression. Women with postpartum depression generally will not feel better unless they receive treatment.
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What This Means For You
As this research demonstrates, children of parents with depression during and after pregnancy were more likely to experience depression. Additional mental health screening and support are needed for families to manage depression. Parents who have navigated depression can model appropriate coping skills for mental health with their children.
Extreme Signs Of Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression has other more severe types which involve extreme behaviors and emotions. The following are extreme signs of postpartum depression that may indicate PPD types like postpartum panic disorder, postpartum OCD, postpartum PTSD and postpartum psychosis.
- Obsessive and repetitive behaviors such as cleaning and changing the babys clothes
- Suffering from panic attacks with physical symptoms like racing heartbeat, shortness of breath and tightening chest
- Intrusive thoughts of harming the baby and being horrified by these thoughts
- Fearing that she is losing control over her thoughts or that she is going crazy
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Association Between Social Support Marital Discord Domestic Violence Prenatal Anxiety Consanguinity And Catastrophic Events With Prenatal Depression
Association with low social support and presence of marital discord was significant on bivariate analysis but not in multivariate logistic regression. Presence of domestic violence was found to impose a five times higher and highly significant risk of developing prenatal depression among the respondents . Pregnancy related anxiety was also found to be a positive predictor of prenatal depression . The blood relationship with the husband did not show any significant association with prenatal depression on bivariate analysis and multivariable analysis. Presence of catastrophic events over the past 1 year imposed a two times higher and significant risk of developing prenatal depression among the respondents . History of mental illness was not included in the analysis because only one respondent had history of this kind and was undergoing treatment with medications.
Table 4. Association of maternal depression with social support, marital discord, and domestic violence among the pregnant mothers .
Can A Mother Experiencing Postpartum Depression Continue To Breastfeed
Usually. While some mothers experience positive feelings from breastfeeding, others may not. Healthcare providers can work with mothers to address depression in a timely manner and to help them reach their breastfeeding goals. Healthcare providers can talk to mothers about treatment options for depression including medications and non-pharmacological options and assist mothers in accessing professional breastfeeding support as needed.
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Who Might Get Prenatal Depression
Anyone can get prenatal depression. Youre more likely to have this condition if you or your family members have a history of:
- Mood disorders such as depression and postpartum depression.
Prenatal depression is more common among people who:
- Are carrying a child with a health problem or special needs.
- Are dealing with stressful life events. These could include divorce, health problems, financial issues or trouble at work.
- Didnt plan to become pregnant.
- Dont have a supportive partner or network of friends and family during pregnancy.
- Had trouble getting pregnant due to infertility.
Can You Prevent Postpartum Depression
If you have had a history of postpartum depression or you are pregnant and you know you have one more more of the risk factors, you may be wondering if there is anything you can do to decrease your chances of developing postpartum depressionor at least mitigate the risk.
While there is no way to say definitively that you can prevent postpartum depression from occurring or recurring, it makes sense to take whatever measures you can to decrease the risk.
Keep in mind that everyone is different, so you should discuss what measures it makes sense for you to take with your doctor, midwife, therapist, or other trusted healthcare provider. Its recommended that you come up with a plan before you are pregnant, if you know you are prone to postpartum depression.
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If Im Depressed Will It Affect My Children
Depression is treatable. But if it is not treated, it will affect your children.
Moms who are depressed may have trouble caring for their children. They may be loving one minute and withdrawn the next. They may respond to their child in a negative way or not respond at all. Your feelings and your behaviour will affect your ability to care for your children.
Depression can also affect attachment, which is important for your childs development. Attachment is a deep emotional bond that a baby forms with the person who provides most of his care. A secure attachment develops quite naturally. A mother responds to her crying infant, offering whatever she feels her baby needsfeeding, a diaper change, cuddling. Secure attachment helps protect against stress and is an important part of a babys long-term emotional health. It makes a baby feel safe and secure, and helps him learn to trust others.
If youre depressed, you may have trouble being loving and caring with your baby all the time. This can lead to an insecure attachment, which can cause problems later in childhood.
How a mothers depression affects her child depends on the childs age.
Babies who dont develop a secure attachment may:
- have trouble interacting with their mother ,
- have problems sleeping,
- may be delayed in their development,
- have more colic,
Getting Help For Antenatal Depression
You might feel confused and isolated if you go through antenatal depression but the key thing is not to keep it to yourself. Instead, speak to your midwife as soon as possible.
Many women dont open up about their depression in pregnancy because theyre embarrassed or worried about what people will think .
But spotting it early is key to getting better and to avoiding any potential impact of the depression on your developing baby .
Some self-help methods that can help are:
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Fathers: Pregnancy/childbirth And Depression
New fathers can also experience symptoms of peripartum depression. Symptoms may include fatigue and changes in eating or sleeping. An estimated 4% of fathers experience depression in the first year after their childs birth. Younger fathers, those with a history of depression and fathers with financial difficulties are at increased risk of experiencing depression.1
Signs And Symptoms Of Perinatal Depression
These are some of the common signs and symptoms of perinatal depression:
How you might feel
If you have perinatal depression, you might feel:
- down, upset or tearful
“I found it hard because whilst people talk about postnatal depression there is very little discussion of mental ill health in pregnancy and it’s supposed to be such a joyful time.”
How you might behave
If you have perinatal depression, you might find that you:
- lose concentration
- find it hard to sleep, even when you have the chance
- have a reduced appetite
- lack interest in sex.
Some of these experiences are common during pregnancy and after becoming a parent. But it’s still important to mention them to your doctor if you’re concerned you might be experiencing perinatal depression.
“I felt selfish and guilty for feeling negative and low. This made me isolate myself further and compounded the problem.”
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Risk Factors For Postpartum Depression
Any new mom is at risk for postpartum depression postpartum depression doesnt discriminate. You can develop symptoms regardless of your socioeconomic status, your race, how many children you have, and whether you have a history of mental illness.
At the same time, there are certain factors that may increase your risk of developing postpartum depression, including:
- A previous experience of postpartum depression
- A history of depression or other mental illness
- A family member who had clinical depression or postpartum depression
- An experience of depression during pregnancy, or prepartum depression
- Recent life stresses
Icipating In Clinical Research
Clinical trials are research studies that look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat diseases and conditions. The goal of clinical trials is to determine if a new test or treatment works and is safe. Although individuals may benefit from being part of a clinical trial, participants should be aware that the primary purpose of a clinical trial is to gain new scientific knowledge so that others may be better helped in the future.
Researchers at NIMH and around the country conduct many studies with patients and healthy volunteers. We have new and better treatment options today because of what clinical trials uncovered years ago. Be part of tomorrows medical breakthroughs. Talk to your doctor or health care provider about clinical trials, their benefits and risks, and whether one is right for you.
For more information about clinical research and how to find clinical trials being conducted around the country, visit NIMH’s clinical trials information webpage.
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Strategy For Data Synthesis
Our intention is to present the findings in the form of a narrative synthesis. We will summarize the results of the selected studies relevant for our four main review questions: the independent effects of pre- and post-partum depression on child outcomes, the vulnerable phase for the effects of depression on the child , possible mediation of the effect of pre-partum depression by postpartum depression, and possible interaction between pre- and post-partum depression in their effects on child outcomes. In addition, we aim to summarize the results of the selected studies as regards the potential covariates, moderators, and mediators of the association between pre- and post-partum depression and child outcomes.
Where appropriate, we will conduct a separate meta-analysis for each type of outcome using a meta-analytic structural equation modeling framework . We will follow the recommendation outlined by Sheng et al. and utilize a two-stage MASEM, which estimates a pooled meta-analytic correlation matrix in the first stage that is subsequently used to fit a structural equation model in the second stage . The independence of pre- and post-partum depression will be assessed as a direct effect while the mediation of the pre-partum depression effect by post-partum depression will be assessed as an indirect effect in the mediation MASEM framework, with the combined effect of pre- and post-partum depression assessed as a total effect.
Whats The Difference Between Baby Blues And Postpartum Depression
The baby blues is a mild form of postpartum depression that many new moms experience. It usually starts 1 to 3 days after the birth and can last for 10 days to a few weeks. With baby blues, many women have mood swingshappy one minute and crying the next. They may feel anxious, confused, or have trouble eating or sleeping. Up to 80% of new moms have the baby blues. Its common, and it will go away on its own.
About 13% of new mothers experience postpartum depression, which is more serious and lasts longer. You are at a greater risk if you have a family history of depression or have had depression before.
Some of the symptoms include:
- feeling like you cant care for your baby,
- extreme anxiety or panic attacks,
- trouble making decisions,
- hopelessness, and
- feeling out of control.
No one knows exactly what causes postpartum depression. If you think you have the symptoms, its important to get help right away. Postpartum depression needs to be treated. Talk to your doctor or call your local public health office.
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If I Am Taking Antidepressants Can I Breastfeed My Baby
Breastfeeding provides many health benefits for babies. It also helps mothers and babies bond. If you are taking antidepressants, small amounts will come out through your breast milk. But studies have shown that children exposed to these drugs through breast milk have not had problems.
Even if you are taking antidepressants, you can breastfeed your baby for as long as you wish. Stopping an antidepressant during breastfeeding may cause the depression to return.
Coping With Prenatal Depression
If youre experiencing prenatal depression, know youre not alone, its not your fault, and there is support available. While pregnancy will naturally impact your mental health, it should not result in depression. If it does, know that its treatable.
Even if you have a treatment plan in place, you should consider implementing daily coping strategies, which may help improve your mood and maintain your overall mental health.
According to Dr. Basch, heres what you can do:
- Engage in your social support network. If you dont have one or if youd like to widen it, join pregnancy support groups.
- Regulate your sleep habits as best as you can. It’s important to make sure that you’re getting as much quality sleep as possible. If you can rely on a friend, partner, or family member to help take on some chores or run a few errands, this may help you get some more resting time in.
- Find ways to lower your stress levels and mood. This could include meditation or trying pregnancy-safe exercises.
- Reach out to a professional. Find a doctor or midwife who is knowledgeable in mental health conditions and can support you throughout your pregnancy journey.
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