¶ Depression During Pregnancy
Hey guys , welcome back to this week of the Preview Alliance podcast . This is Sarah , and I'm here to give you a little special insight of a episode that is a fan favorite with over 5,000 downloads already . It is depression during pregnancy . If you've been with us for a little bit , you may recognize this episode from early 2023 .
This is our most downloaded episode and we're bringing it back from maternal mental health month . We have moms reach out to us about this topic frequently .
So if you are listening to this and you are experiencing signs and symptoms of depression yourself or a loved one who is pregnant is experiencing these symptoms please know that there is help , there is treatment and to reach out to their provider and their support system . Okay , guys , on to the episode . Hey guys , welcome back to Preview Alliance Podcast .
It's .
Sarah and Whitney . Okay , so we're going to do . This is one of two series that's going to be aimed towards our pregnancy moms , and this is just educational more . But you know , and it's good to just even hear it , because you may be postpartum now and think like , oh my gosh , that was me .
No one ever told me .
So the first one we're doing is yes , you can be depressed in pregnancy , it's true . Now let's go back and say what is depression .
Correct . So depression is going to be more along the lines of a lack of motivation . You can be feeling hopeless , like there is not a way out .
Imagine like you're almost down in this pit or in this well , and you just look up around you and you think I can't get out of this Right , like I'm going to die here , yeah , which I know that sounds very harsh .
Depression can be harsh , harsh , and so I don't say that to discourage people , I say that as a reality , that to discourage people , I say that as a reality . I do also want to put a clarifier out there that it is not inevitable for you to be depressed during pregnancy , right , just that it can occur prenatally .
And we're going to be here to kind of talk about the risk factors , contributing factors for that , what that can look like , things of that nature .
And let's let's break it down too . It's saying depression is not your fault correct ? Yes , none of these mental health conditions are your fault . It's a medical condition .
It's like you didn't go out and seek it . You didn't choose to feel this way , so this is .
If you're saying yes , this sounds like me . You did nothing to cause this correct . So let's just put the shame out the out the door here and the sadness , the loss of enjoyment of the hopelessness and being like it takes over . It does so . It's not like something you can control it or wish it away . So let's get that out .
So depression and pregnancy can be missed , because they can be similar in their signs and symptoms .
That is true , because more so in the first trimester , but it can be in any trimester you are going to have a decrease in your appetite because of the hormones , because you're throwing up , you don't feel like it .
You don't want to eat .
That nausea is there , so depression . Another one of kind of the textbook symptoms is a loss of appetite or even sometimes like a loss of taste .
Right , hello , yeah , yeah .
It changes everything .
So if someone's asking you that and you're like yeah , they're like , oh , okay , Cause you're the hormones .
Yeah , so I could see where , you know , a patient brings it up to their OB and they say you know , my appetite is just next to nothing , which really kind of bums me out . And the OB is probably going to say well , you know what , you're nine weeks , you're in the first trimester , that is not alarming to me .
And then they may say are you vomiting a lot ? Are you able to drink things ? You know things of that nature .
They're going to make sure that you're getting some nutrients and some fluids to avoid dehydration , but otherwise , isolated the appetite and lack thereof , an OB may not necessarily pick up on , that being a red flag for depression , which the patient may not either .
Right , and then you have lack of sleep .
Yep , because everything's uncomfortable .
Okay , pregnancy that can be all throughout that pregnancy .
And because of that fatigue , we almost have like that lack of motivation or that lack of drive that goes along with it , because you're so tired you don't Exactly , so it's all kind of messy there at libido You're throwing up .
Yeah , you know your body's changing . You don't feel like yourself . Third trimester , you're just like don't touch me , yeah , get away from me .
So yeah , you know all those things excessive or maybe spontaneous crying without a trigger that you can say . This is why I feel this way . Well , your ab may say , well , you know , has anything happened in your life ? To cause you to feel that way . You may say no .
They may say well , again you're nine weeks , you , your progesterone is really skyrocketing right now . It's your hormones and again , you know that's true . Right , I can't say that that's not true .
No , so it's all kind of blurred lines .
It is .
And then you yourself don't know why .
Okay is this pregnancy or is this something more Exactly ?
So some other factors that I think are more depression as opposed to pregnancy would be you do find yourself withdrawing or isolating from people that you normally want to spend time with Friends or family , Exactly , and there's not again a particular situation or something that was said that makes you want to back off .
So you're saying you're losing your normal support ?
You're not going to talk to him about it .
And that's not a question probably that's going to be asked of you in the OB office . So this is something that you need to know and that your friends and family kind of need to be like okay , Whitney's kind of not herself .
She's withdrawing .
She's not wanting to engage with me . She's not attending what normally does , yeah .
So those can be red flags , you know , for people who are not pregnant . But hear this and you think you know what my friend that's you know , 25 weeks . They really haven't been coming as frequently or they haven't been texting as often . Maybe I should check in on them and just kind of see how they're doing .
Yeah , so that one , I would think , is a little bit more on the depression side as opposed to pregnancy , and at this point in time with COVID , we're not isolating , we're not hunkering down like we were three years ago , so that reason has kind of gone out the window . Now that being said , it is still a really bad flu .
Rsv , covid season , so we get it . So you know , if someone is like , hey , I'm newly pregnant , I did IVF to get pregnant , I'm not comfortable with a large gathering of people , that can be appropriate , that I can understand , and I would not attribute that to depression .
No , if it's one of those you're like I'm really looking out to not get sick right now , okay , fair enough . But then you know , a few months down the road when we get into spring and hopefully out of this terrible flu , surge and it's still saying it . And then we still see . No , I just don't really feel like it . No , thank you , and it's consistent .
So check on yourself and check in and say , well , why is it ? Or if loss of enjoyment of things Okay , is it because you are an avid hiker and you're throwing up ? And you're like I don't want to hike anymore . Yeah , is it because you physically have a limitation ?
yeah , versus you can and you just don't want to , you want to want to , uh-huh , and you just can't get it and you're just like it's not happening , yeah , so all those things you need to start turning into and you may be hearing this and you're going okay , I'm fixing to be pregnant , I'm pregnant . What are my like , what's , risk factors ?
So I always tell everybody this is that if you've ever experienced depression , anxiety , ocd , bipolar , anything , anything mental illness related prior in your life , you are at a greater risk for that , prenatally and postpartum . Now , does that mean it is inevitable and a guarantee ? Absolutely not .
No , but it does mean that you need to be aware of what your depression looks like , what your anxiety looks like , because you know you the best . Amen , because my anxiety may not present like yours , sarah , and vice versa , right , but we know , okay . Well , when I really get anxious , this is what I tend to do or this is how I tend to feel .
So be aware of what your prior symptoms have looked like and felt like .
¶ Identifying Risk Factors for Pregnancy Depression
Now , that being said , if you've never experienced depression , anxiety , any type of mental illness prior to your pregnancy , if there is anyone in your family that has had , any type of family history , a diagnosis in the past , especially immediate family , so we're talking your biological parents , siblings and even your grandparents . So , those closer knit blood genes .
Now if you have a twice separated great uncle that has bipolar disorder , the genetics they are not as strong . So look , so I wouldn't be like I have it because they have it , I have it because something else , okay .
So look at . So your own history , your mental health history , your family's history , which is good to this is good to know our family history medically and mental health . If you have a history of physical or sexual abuse , any history of trauma , trauma . If this pregnancy Was not planned .
Not planned , it was a surprise , surprise .
If you have a high-risk pregnancy , including your own or your child's medical issues so hyperemus gravida , gestational diabetes , a history of preeclampsia Placental problems .
History of help syndrome .
Those are all things . Those are big ones .
Any major changes in your life , even if they are positive . So let's just say you got married or you moved into your dream house or you got your dream job . Those are positive things . They are still stressors , they are still transitions in your life that you're adapting to while adapting to pregnancy .
It is and I will throw this out there too Thyroid problems . Yes , I have hypothyroidism and for the longest time I never really knew why I had heart palpitations . Went to a cardiologist . They said you have an arrhythmia , be mindful of your caffeine intake . Okay , fine . Well , several years later , when I was dealing with infertility guess what ?
I had a thyroid problem and while it has not resolved my anxiety completely , my anxiety is much better managed now that I'm on a thyroid medication . So , if you notice , almost like a sudden onset and we don't have an external trigger for it Right ?
So it's not . We're not talking about a death , a loss , Exactly .
Or you know losing your job or you know any number of things , or financial difficulties . You know we don't have an external source that we can say . This is why I feel this way and all of a sudden you feel like you almost have a sudden onset of this . Get your OB to pull thyroid labs .
Just see what it is .
And most , most OBs do thyroid panels in pregnancy anyway , it never hurts to advocate for yourself and say can we pull those again ? Yeah , most obese are going to be on board with that .
yeah , because they don't . I mean , they want to know just as much as you do .
Well , and it's not unheard of to have a pregnancy induced thyroid problem .
That's ? Oh , that's , that's valid . So there is risk factors , right , there is things that can put you more risk , but it doesn't mean you have them , it's not inevitable , but it's something that just needs to like . It's like okay , let's wake up a little bit . Let's put it on our radar . Yes , just be aware of those things .
Let's know our symptoms , let's look more into them . Are they extreme ? Are they past causes that we can name Like yes , I'm not eating as much because I'm throwing up , or no , I'm not throwing up and I still don't want to eat my favorite ?
Yeah , I have no desire .
Okay , so that's a thing . And people are now saying okay , so what if I am depressed ? What does that put me at risk for ? Well , we know depression in your pregnancy can lead to preterm babies , which now you know , that's a huge thing is preterm birth , which we want to do everything we can to keep the baby in womb and some things .
You can maybe be saying I had a preterm baby . Was I depressed ? No , it's not your fault .
No , not at all .
This is never saying that this is knowing that what we can be aware of to try to help you .
But again , you think you know if you're depressed and you know nausea , vomiting HG , those things aside taking care of yourself . Well that . But also you may not be eating as much as you could or want to , and so you may have a lower birth weight baby sometimes , and that can also lead to preterm delivery .
And so to those mamas who really struggle to have an appetite , that is not nausea , vomiting based think about drinking your calories instead of eating them .
so protein shakes , yeah good smoothies , put some peanut butter avocado smoothies , acai bowls are really good options .
Love those um do snacks instead of meals because you know what a granola bar probably might sound better to you than an order of chicken nuggets from chick-fil-a . You may be like I can't . I can't do that right now , but I could . Something small . Something small , maybe a little bit more carby .
Yeah , carbs are easier to digest , yeah , and so play to your strengths , the path of least resistance right now .
And we know too , depression in your pregnancy leads to higher odds of postpartum depression . Absolutely , and with so any so , Depression during pregnancy leads to higher odds of postpartum depression Absolutely .
And so what we're wanting you to do is look at this , look at your pregnancy , look at your symptoms and know let's figure out if there's something that you need help and support to . Because , good news here , yep , it's been really researched , been studied . Therapy that's right Is a proven way that they can treat depression during pregnancy and postpartum .
That's right , and let's say this again If you need a medication , that's okay , that's fine , no shame .
There are researched safe medicines for pregnancy and breastfeeding , so throwing it out there .
We want you to know . The biggest takeaway is know what is to be expected and not expected and how to reach out for help . So how to help If you're a pre-veal woman , you just email us .
Yes , you hit your button on your dashboard for therapy and we get you connected .
That's right Now , if not Postpartum Support International .
We've said this before I love them .
They are a great way Having an open conversation with your provider and saying I'm struggling because of this . Do you have any resources ?
Exactly what would you recommend ?
And you can always I would always say , and I told this to my patients as a nurse start early . The start of something feels off to you . Absolutely nurse , start early . The start of something feels off to you . Absolutely .
Say it now because it's always easier earlier to intervene absolutely it is , once we've kind of reached this mountain , we got all the way to go back down absolutely that now , you know , actually , the us task force recommends which we follow this with previa that if you have these current risk factors , that you start therapy in pregnancy absolutely they recommend
current signs and symptoms of depression which we've talked about . So if you're showing this during pregnancy , they say let's get you into therapy now's the time to get on board that's what we do with previa is because we know it works .
History , like we said , of depression that even if you have a history of that , they think you can benefit and it help you so much to start , even if you're not showing signs Teen or single mom low income , because we know that's going to put you at a harder disadvantage . Stressful life circumstance , hello , pregnancy alone can qualify for that .
And so they know therapy works Absolutely .
And , I would think , a lack of a support system too .
Oh , huge because you feel like you're alone and your therapist is going to give you validation processing . That's right hoping techniques . So yes , depression in pregnancy happens yes yes , there's help . Yes , you do not have to always feel this way .
Correct and it's not your fault . Yeah , you don't have to live in misery .
No , and you're not a bad mom . You did nothing for this Correct , and we want you to hear this and be aware . If none of this is , if you're like , okay , that's great . None of that fits me Absolutely .
We love that . We know that you're aware of it .
Yes , maybe you can use this information and be aware to help your friend .
Absolutely .
Or continue the conversation so that moms know we're not in this alone . That's right . All right , guys , stay tuned . We're going to cover anxiety in our next episode , and this will be great , that's right . See ya Bye .
¶ Maternal Mental Health Podcast
Maternal mental health is as important as physical health . The Preview Alliance podcast was created for and by moms dealing with postpartum depression and all its variables , like anxiety , anger and even apathy .
Hosted by CEO founder , sarah Parkhurst , and licensed clinical social worker , whitney Gay , each episode focused on specific issues relevant to pregnancy and postpartum . Join us and hear how other moms have overcome mental health challenges , as well as access tips and suggestions on dealing with your own challenges as moms .
You can also browse our podcast library and listen to previous episodes at any time . Please know you're not alone on this journey . We're here to help .