What You Should Know About Pregnancy and Anxiety / Depression

Pregnancy is a life-altering time for women, and we're told it should all be stress-free bliss. Unfortunately, for many women, the opposite is true.

It isn't uncommon for women to be anxious or depressed during certain parts of pregnancy. This is due to hormonal changes, causing mood swings, worries about the baby, and other factors. However, according to literature from the University of Michigan Depression Center, up to 10% of women suffer depression and/or anxiety during pregnancy.

Sometimes it can get serious enough to affect your daily life. If it does, there are things you can try. This article will outline your options and hopefully help you decide whether your depression or anxiety is 'normal' or if you need to discuss the situation with your doctor.

Don't be fooled by the out-of-date mentality that women can only become depressed after having a baby because somehow pregnancy and the hormones involved protect them from depression. Depression and anxiety are very real problems and there are many things you can do to help yourself.

Firstly though, how do you know if you're actually dealing with depression? There are symptoms that can help you decide if you need to be evaluated.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself.

Do you feel like you can't enjoy anything any more? Is nothing fun?

Do you feel sad or "empty" for long periods of time...either most of the day or every day?

Do you find it harder to concentrate and get things done?

Are you extremely irritable or do you cry a lot?

Have you experienced appetite changes, like not wanting to eat, or eating all the time?

Do you feel inappropriate guilt or feelings of worthlessness?

Do things seem hopeless?

If you answered yes to several of these questions and it is affecting your daily life, past the point where you just think it's "pregnancy symptoms", you might want to talk to a professional if some of these tips don't help.

Here are some symptoms of anxiety to watch for:

Frequent, recurrent concerns about your baby's health or your own. Frequently feeling that something terrible is about to happen.