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Pregnancy and Depression

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The most wonderful time in a woman’s life is during her pregnancy. It’s a miraculous time when a little prince or princess is growing within us and for the first time in our life we are unconditionally in love with this little unknown being. We cherish every pain that we go through during these 9months. It’s as if all your happiness, your desires revolve around the yet to be born baby.

 

It’s a magical time. Or so everyone says. But, is it so for every pregnant woman out there?? Everyone expects the expectant mother to always be happy all the time. Pregnant woman is also told how she is not supposed to be crying or throwing tantrums or thinking negative. Well, believe me, this is easier said than done. Yes, the mother is happy, nobody could possibly be as happy as her. She is the one carrying the baby for 9 Months in her womb remember! And, yes she’s happy that she has made the entire family happy by this great news.

But,most forget that to-be-mothers are also human!!! So what’s wrong if she’s a little anxious! What’s wrong if she doesn’t feel elated every single moment of the day! What’s wrong if she weeps for some silly reason! What’s wrong if she gets upset or fusses over little things! Just because she is pregnant, it doesn’t mean she’s not a normal human any more right??!!!

Most women end up feeling guilty for being sad or upset during pregnancy! Why so?? Well, thanks to the expectations of everyone around them. They get a sense of fear towards their unborn child. They become increasingly unsure of their parenting abilities.Nobody is a perfect parent. We all learn through mistakes. Why do people forget that? Fear of the unknown is obvious. But, the unknown isn’t always bad right??

These thoughts precisely has led me to write this blog on Pregnancy and depression.

Depression during pregnancy also known as antepartum depression, and depression after delivery known as postpartum depression is a mood disorder just like clinical depression. All women experience depression and anxiety at some point of their pregnancy. During pregnancy, a woman’s body goes through many changes be it physical/mental/emotional. Hormonal changes occur during pregnancy and all these lead to mood swings which are perfectly normal during pregnancy. So when do we actually worry and differentiate between the normal pregnancy symptoms or symptoms of actual depression.

Here are few symptoms to look out for:

  1. Feeling sad and anxious all the time
  2. Loss of interest in activities
  3. Not pursuing hobbies anymore
  4. Sleeping too little or too much
  5. Feeling of hopelessness or worthlessness or guilt
  6. Thoughts of death or suicidal tendencies
  7. Inability to concentrate
  8. Withdrawal from family and friends
  9. Crying spells
  10. Recurring nightmares

Risk factors:

  • Troubled family life
  • Lack of emotional support from the family especially spouse
  • Past history of clinicaldepression
  • Family history of clinicaldepression
  • Any persisting or past psychiatric illness
  • Miscarriage in the past
  • Conception post infertility treatment
  • Any medical condition Or past illness

Apart from antepartum depression a woman can also go through Postpartum depression (PPD).
Many new moms experience the “postpartum baby blues” after childbirth, which commonly include mood swings, crying spells, anxiety, difficulty in sleeping, difficulty bonding with your baby, fear that you are not a good mother and even thoughts of harming yourself or your baby. Baby blues typically begin within the first two to three days after delivery, and may last for up to two weeks. It can affect both parents.

How does one overcome depression??

  1. Family’s support, understanding, love and care can work wonders especially the attention of your spouse. Everyone should understand that a woman goes through so many changes duringpregnancyand that the symptoms vary from one person to another. Some women may have a hassle free pregnancy, while others may not and understanding this is most important. Nobody will fake any ailment. So if a woman says she has some trouble, be it a simple backache or a headache or excessive nausea vomiting, trust her that she does.
  2. Indulgein hobbies: Indulge in activities that make you happy. If you are inclined to sketching, singing or any other hobby try pursuing these hobbies during your pregnancy and that can keep you calm and happy.
  3. Do not hesitate to seek help. Many families still think seeking help means either you are weak or something is wrong with you. And most conclude you have either gone crazy or have lost your senses, it is certainly not so. Any person may experiencedepression. That does not make the woman crazy. It’s just a phase of life. Like every other problem women have to fight it and overcome the same.
  4. Eathealthy. Nutritious diet is most important along with folic acid/iron/calcium supplements duringpregnancy.
  5. Sightseeing – going out and getting some fresh air with your spouse even if its just for walks can always cheer you up.
  6. Rest -Yes it is very important to be active to ensure normal delivery and lesser complications. But at the same time getting ample amount of rest is equally important.

Management:

Instead of jumping to drugs as the first line of treatment we must try CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) accompanied by support of the family, healthy diet, meditation and making sure the mother incorporates hobbies in her everyday routine.

Don’t ever think twice to seek help. Ignore the stigma that the society has shown towards depression during pregnancy. It’s no one’s fault. It can happen to anyone. What’s important is to recognize the symptoms, remain strong, face it and overcome the same.

 

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Prenatal exposure to Fish boosts Child’s brain power…

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Growing scientific evidence supports the theory that expectant mothers who eat fish regularly actually are helping boost their children’s brain power, even though they are usually advised to avoid fish that contain high levels of neurotoxin methyl mercury, according to a new study published in the journal of Nutrition.

Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises pregnant women to eat only two meals of fish a WEEK and to avoid most large fish to reduce the exposure of their babies developing brains to mercury. However, a recent joint report from the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) recommended nations emphasize the benefits of eating fish for pregnant mothers and nursing mothers and the potential risks of not consuming fish to brain development. (January 8, 2013 Food Product Design)

Because those messages are confusing to most consumers, researchers at the University of Rochester, the University of Ulster, and in the Republic of Seychelles conducted a study to examine what happens to children’s development when their mothers eat fish while pregnant.

The Study, conducted in the Republic of Seychelles in the Indian Ocean where fish consumption among women is at least 10 times higher than women in the United States and the level of mercury in the fish is almost the same, included 225 mothers and their children. Detailed information about nutritional intake was obtained from the mothers and almost a dozen standard assessments on language and intelligence of the children were completed over several years.

“This study shows that there are no adverse effects of prenatal mercury exposure from fish on children at 5 years old on 10 developmental outcomes when adjusted for maternal levels of Polyunsaturated fatty acids. In fact, we found positive associations with those nutrients and children’s language development,” said Phil W. Davidson, Ph.D., professor emeritus of Paediatrics, principal investigator of the ongoing Seychelles Child Development Study and co-author of the study.

The study Children’s standard language development scores rose as levels of omega-3 fatty acids rose in mothers. They found positive associations between the level of PUFAs in mothers and their children’s subsequent scores on preschool language and verbal assessments. In particular, those scores were associated with DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid.

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Benefits of Pre-Planning your meals: failing to plan is planning to fail

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Travelling for me has always been a bane not because I do not like travelling but, largely due to the fact that my meals just go for a toss and me going ravenous at the sight of food when I reach my destination. I would end up eating like I’ve never seen food before and then curse myself for the next three days. We all can relate to this even in our day-to-day life. How many of us come back home after a long day at work and raid the fridge. The reason-most of us either do not have the time or the willingness to carry food from home, how much ever of a ‘health freak’ you claim yourself to be. I am sure many of you reading this blog would identify with me on this aspect.

Ever wondered why this shift in behavioural pattern? – The answer is simple enough – Lack of planning! When it comes to eating well, meal planning is one of the easiest things you can do to set yourself up for success. While even the thought of it can be considered a chore to add onto your “to-do list,” this is one chore that should be at the top of that list!

Think of it as – planning your budget for the forthcoming week. Without planning your expenses based on your most recent earnings, there would be a high possibility ofyou going overboard with your spending and later putting yourself on a guilt trip. Same is the case with food planning. You certainly do not want to fall into thevicious trap of – overeat – feel guilty – get on a diet – punish yourself to exercise – starve – think that you have lost those unnecessary pounds – overeat again.

Planning your meals well ahead of time brings with it certain benefits difficult for us to overlook.

Here are some of them you are most likely to be able to relate to –

Make healthier choices– Planning your meals well ahead of time helps you take control of your personal nutritional needs. There are rare chances of you then reaching out to convenience foods like ready to eat foods, quick fixes like those creamy or sugar laden biscuits and cakes or fall prey to emotional eating.

Satiety cues are kept under control – The simplest of the food choices made by you (something as simple as dal rice) keeps you feeling satiated enough to prevent any hunger pangs or sweet cravings from setting in especially later in the evening. And, if you get this right, your weight loss concerns are taken care of!

Prevents bloating & acidity –Out of 10 people, 5 complain of acidity issues, bloating and other digestion related problems. Why is this? The main cause being, untimely meals especially due to faulty planning.

Slim chances of eating beyond your capacity –When you know that all your meals are taken care of for a particular day, it so happens and is my personal experience too, that you tend to relish and at the same time practice ‘mindful eating’ at all times when you sit down to eat. As you are tuned in to your stomach you know where exactly to stop the act of eating. End result? You end up feeling so much lighter and are ready and eagerly await your next meal within 2 hours!

Staying committed to your ‘cheat day’- We all set a weekly ‘cheat day’ for ourselves but, how many of us stick to it? If you are successful at planning your meals right, there are high chances of you sticking to this week long commitment!

In short, ‘planning’ your meals allows you to take control of yourself and your nutritional needs leaving you feeling so much better about yourself because you not only end up losing oodles of inches but, you are eating so much more than ever before!

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Late Lunching can slow Weight Loss…

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A new study suggests if you are trying to lose weight, then you should not just keep an eye on the calories you consume, but also when you consume them. If lunch is your big meal of the day and if you have a tendency to eat it later means you will lose weight more slowly and lose less of it.

In other words, the later you eat your main meal of the day, the harder it is to lose weight, say researchers from Brigham and Women’s hospital (BWH) and Tufts University in Boston in the US, and the University of Murcia in Spain, who write about their findings in the 29 January online issue of the International Journal of Obesity.

Senior author Frank Scheer, director of the medical Chronobiology Program and associate neuroscientist at BWH, says in a statement: “This is the first large-scale prospective study to demonstrate that the timing of meals predicts weight-loss effectiveness.”

“Our results indicate that late eaters displayed a slower weight-loss rate and lost significantly less weight than early eaters , suggesting that the timing of large meals could be an important factor in a weight loss program,” adds Scheer, who is also assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

The Researchers were interested in doing the study because while there is lots of evidence from animal research of a link between timing of food intake and weight regulation, there is scarcely any to show whether this is true of humans.

For their investigation, Scheer and colleagues looked at the data on 420 overweight people who took part in a 20-week weight loss program in Murcia, Spain, where the main meal of the day in this Mediterranean region is lunch. For this population, lunch also accounts for about 40% of daily calorie intake.

About half the participants were female, their average age was 42, and around half ate lunch early (up to 3 pm) and half ate it late (after 3 pm).

The researchers found those who ate lunch early lost significantly more weight than those who ate it late. The late-eaters also showed a much slower rate of weight loss, and a lower estimated rate of insulin sensitivity, which is known risk factor for DIABETES.

The study also looked at other factors that can influence weight loss, for example total calories consumed, energy burnt , levels of appetite hormones(leptin and ghrelin), amount of sleep, and presence of clock gene(which has been linked to difficulty in losing weight).

The researchers found no significant differences between the two groups when they look these factors into account.

The timing of other meals, which were much smaller than lunch, also made little difference to the rate and quantity of weight loss, but the researchers noted that: “Nevertheless, late eaters were more evening types, had less energetic breakfasts and skipped breakfast more frequently that early eaters,”according to the Medical News Today 29 Jan 2013.

Lead author Marta Garaulet, professor of physiology at the University of Murcia, says their findings show that timing of food intake may play a significant role in humans, and weight loss programs should therefore take into account not only “the calorie intake and macronutrient distribution, as it is classically done, but also the timing of food”.

It is not clear, however, from these study results, how applicable the findings would be to populations where a significant proportion of calories is consumed outside mealtimes. For instance, in the US, snacking accounts for 25% of calorie intake.

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