Depression and pregnancy

[kjs]

Hi all,

I was diagnosed with depression and social anxiety when I was 18. Since then I have had many ups and downs and am experiencing another depressive period at the moment.

My partner and I both would love to start a family. It has been a life-long goal of mine as I love working with and being involved with children.

I'm seeking other people's opinions of experience as I am terrified. I want to be able to provide the adequate care for my baby but am frightened of the depression and what I might be like during and after pregnancy. I also worry about having my children miss out on things due to my mental health.

I spoke with my psychiatrist about it briefly today and he suggested staying on my medications because he thinks it would be too risky to come off them and said it would be safe to do so.

I had booked an appointment for next week to have my Implanon removed but after feeling so low again recently I'm thinking I'll go in and discuss my concerns with my gp and remove it at a later date when I'm feeling well again.

Any advice would be great!

Have a nice day ☺

[Helen72]

Hi kjs,

You work with children? Then you have a good idea of what they're like.

All children miss out on something but the fact you are aware of the effects it might have are encouraging. Also often the child of a person with issues is way more sensitive to other people and that's a good thing.

There's a thing called 'good enough parenting" so don't feel like you have to provide everything. It's true it takes a village to raise a child - start identifying who might be part of your village.

Implanon is a contraceptive? I would talk with your partner, your gp and your psych. Talk about how a pregnancy and a child might affect you. It's certainly a big load - how do you deal with stresses?

Having a child is a huge thing and at least upsets your sleeping patterns for a while.

What are your partner's thoughts?

Helen

[Meowface]

Hey I hope I can help you a little bit.

My sister and I both have depression/anxiety. She got pregnant just before me and was advised to stay on her medication. She did and had a beautiful healthy baby, she still experienced that normal stressful adjustment to becoming a new mum but felt more balanced without the massive lows. She also got a lot of support from her healthcare providers because she was honest with them.

I got pregnant just after her, and was the opposite. I tried to ignore my mental health issues wanting to be the “perfect” mother who would be totally completed by my child. I went off my medication, and didn’t even tell the midwives about my history when they did their questionnaires. Very irresponsible in hindsight.

For the first 6 months I was okay, looking back I can see the signs of crumbling but kept pushing through. Then it all caught up with me and I’m back on medication and seeing a psychologist. I’m starting to feel better and am learning that this is part of me that does need support, and it makes me a better mother when I take care of myself properly.

So that would be my advice to you. What’s that saying on planes? Putting your own mask on before your child’s (even when they are in your belly)....it’s the same. But you will still be a wonderful mother because you’ll love your little one and mental health issues won’t change that xx