Anxiety/Depression

havingbabynumber1

Has anyone else had increased anxiety and depression since finding out they were pregnant? I am 10 weeks now and feel like I am worried about everything I am taking into my body and the things I don't do enough of. I feel like I can't enjoy the idea of having a baby until I pass the 12 week mark and I'm more sure I will keep the baby. Anyone relate??

knottie55f7f8bc05d4c412

You are not alone! This is my second pregnancy and i feel like im so busy with my toddler that i forget to drink enough water, eat enough. Even though i try to. I TOO am worrying about mine and babies health alot of the time. i hardly have any caffiene or sugar I never was this worried before.

ivfmeerut

During pregnancy time, hormone changes can affect the chemicals in your brain causing depression, and anxiety. few times, pregnant women don't realize they are depressed. They may think they have symptoms of pregnancy or the “baby blues,” which some women experience right after birth. Depression is a medical condition that needs treatment or consultation to get better. Untreated depression during pregnancy can cause issues for you and your baby.

thankfullyamama

@havingbabynumber1

I’m sorry you’re experiencing some mental health right now! This is a great thread to have started as many mamas have prenatal anxiety/ depression … would you mind renaming the board mental health check in with some prompting questions like:

how are you feeling?
what are you doing to take care of yourself? 

Questions? 

jesofthenorth

I have a history of depression and it was well under control until about a month before I got pregnant; now it’s out of control. I’d used Talkspace before when my insurance covered therapy, and found it very helpful, but the policy at my current job covers nothing. Definitely going to look up other options, because I know untreated depression isn’t something I want to mess with again. 

I hope you find some help. Therapy in any form is a wonderful resource. You’re definitely not alone.

anniez85

I had a scare this week with a random bleed and cramping over a couple of days at 10w 5 days. The midwife didn’t help by basically telling me I was miscarrying and that they would send me a kit this weekend. Luckily I was able to get a cancellation spot for an ultrasound and little bean has a heart beat of 163 and is right on track growth wise (Jan 21). The anxiety of having the unknown and waiting kills me. Luckily I have a good support system including one friend who had a miscarriage and then went on to have a healthy baby so was able to ask her lots of questions. 

Would finding your own support system help? I think we keep a lot bottled up especially in the first trimester due to not telling many people but I’m sure many people would be there for you  

cc_clark

I also have a history of depression and have ongoing treatment for generalized anxiety disorder, totally hear you all! Finding support is critical, whether it’s family, friends, therapist. I try to have a strong combo of the three.
There are a lot of cbt tips and tricks from my years of therapy for anxiety that I’ve found useful. For me, I use tricks like trying to sleep on the worries when they creep in late at night (using a noise machine can help, I use asmr videos personally). Writing down the worries and revisiting them the next day to feel how big they still feel or don’t feel. Repeating probability vs possibility to myself in the moments of panic. Reminding myself that I am doing the things, eating the foods, drinking the water that I am supposed to, and that’s all we can do.

jesofthenorth

@cbhclark ASMR videos have been utterly life-changing for me. My husband thinks it’s weird but I say don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tingled. 

havingbabynumber1

@tryingktogku I love this idea, maybe we should start that as a new thread?

thankfullyamama

@havingbabynumber1 absolutely! Could even make it a weekly check I type thing every Monday or something

zamoraspin

@havingbabynumber1 I’m sorry you are experiencing additional symptoms. It is fairly common. I have a friend who experienced pretty bad prenatal anxiety. 

I historically don’t find depression to be worse for me during pregnancy but I do have pregnancy related PTSD that causes anxiety. Back in January *TW several months after my late term loss of twins I was still experiencing depression and anxiety that made it hard to function, on top of grief. I decided to look into therapy and medication and have been on Zoloft since February. I’m on a low dose but I find it takes the edge off of my symptoms. My therapist and I have worked on coping mechanisms to deal with my PTSD and anxiety in certain situations, like before an ultrasound. After such a difficult pregnancy history, I was worried if I didn’t address my issues before getting pregnant again and while pregnant I would have panic attacks. For this reason, although there is a risk to the baby post delivery of very short term side effects from the Zoloft (short meaning less than 48 hours) I am planning to stay on my medication. I think it’s better for her to possibly need extra monitoring for a very short time than be exposed to my panic for 9 months.

One of the podcasts my therapist recommended  was "Fear: Get me Out of Here" on More Than a Feeling by Ten Percent Happier which if anyone has intense trauma reactions might be helpful. 

knottiea2f06a02d7f6876c

I'm on Zoloft for anxiety been 4 years. My anxiety is worse this pregnancy.I'm almost 15 weeks. I might have to go up on my dose if so do t feel better. I can't sleep maybe 5 hours a night and Inwork full time so no naps.