Posts Tagged ‘pregnancy’
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
Educating clinicians about how to identify and treat serious illness in expectant mothers is crucial to minimizing complications, researchers say
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Some pregnant women are more likely to be depressed than others.
A new U-M study published in this month’s American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, finds that factors such as stress, mental health history, social support, and whether a pregnancy was intended, contribute to a woman being more at risk of experiencing depression than others.
“Depression has been associated with adverse outcomes for both mom and baby, including pre-term delivery, pre-eclampsia, sleep disturbances for both mom and baby, and maternal-infant attachment effects, in addition to its impact on the mother’s daily quality of life,” says
Christie A. Lancaster, M.D., M.S., a U-M clinical lecturer in the department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology and lead author in the study.
Depression, experienced by as many as 12.7 percent of pregnant women, is a serious complication that, if identified, can be treated during pregnancy.
Tags: depression, perinatal, perinatal depression, postpartum, postpartum depression, ppd, pregnancy
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Saturday, January 16th, 2010
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, depression during and after pregnancy is a common problem. Around 13 percent of expecting and new mothers experience it.
Depression can result from a number of different reasons. Women who have a family history of the condition are more likely to experience it themselves.
Alterations in brain chemistry are believed to contribute greatly to depression, and in some women, hormones may also play a role. It is known that hormones directly affect brain chemistry tied to emotions and mood, and that women are more susceptible to developing depression during certain times in their lives, like during puberty, pregnancy and pre-menopause.
Experts say hormonal changes after childbirth may be what trigger postpartum depression.
Read on…
Tags: depression, perinatal, perinatal depression, postpartum, postpartum depression, ppd, pregnancy
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Sunday, January 10th, 2010
The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services wants residents to know that help is available for women in Middlesex County who are suffering with perinatal mood disorders (PMD).
Most new mothers (up to 80 percent) experience at least a brief episode of the “baby blues” — feelings of sadness, anxiety, loneliness or moodiness — within the first few days of giving birth. After a few weeks these symptoms typically disappear. When symptoms persist or deepen in intensity, however, they may be signs of postpartum depression or another perinatal mood disorder such as anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorders and postpartum depression. The depression may be mild, moderate or severe.
PMD are serious but treatable. Having PMD does not mean anything is wrong with a woman’s ability to be a mother.
PMD affect one in every 8-10 women. Any woman who has recently had a baby, ended a pregnancy, or who has stopped breastfeeding can be affected.
Read on…
Tags: depression, perinatal, perinatal mood disorders, pmd, postpartum, postpartum depression, ppd, pregnancy
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Thursday, December 31st, 2009
Wherever you are in the world…join us for this Live Interactive Virtual Video Broadcast for Practitioners Physicians and Parents
“Moving Beyond Prenatal and Postpartum Depression” with Shoshana Bennett, PhD
Clinical Psycholgist and Author of:
“Pregnant on Prozac”
“Postpartum Depression for Dummies”
“Beyond the Blues”
Saturday, February 06, 2010 from 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM (PT)
Learn the critical KEY strategies that every new mother needs to know
Read on…
Tags: depression, perinatal, postpartum depression, ppd, pregnancy
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Wednesday, December 30th, 2009
Thank God for the internet and blogging. Else how would we get to read all of these great stories and share in other women’s triumphs over perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Here are some amazing women.
Sophie in the Moonlight on the holidays, postpartum depression, and NOT being Suuuuupermom:
If the postpartum depression had won and my spectacular suicide attempt had been successful, I would not be here making magnets out of 29-cent wood cutouts, cheap acrylic paint, and sparkly beads with my boys.
Read on…
From Dr. Shosh:
As a mother, it’s easy for your needs to get lost in the shuffle. The truth is, that’s not good for loved ones around you. Learn how to put yourself on your own list, and watch your family benefit!
Setting the Supermom Cape Aside: Caring For Yourself
Tags: anxiety, depression, perinatal, perinatal depression, postpartum, postpartum depression, ppd, pregnancy, selfcare
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Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
Starting next week, women recovering from cesarean-section deliveries at Ogden Regional Medical Center will enjoy eight new rooms designed for them — providing a more home-like place for their typically longer recovery periods.
“The more we can do to individualize the care for that patient, I think, the better care they’ll have,” said Jon Ahlstrom, the center’s division chief of obstetrics and gynecology.
What the state-of-the-art facility isn’t designed to do: increase the number of pregnant women who elect to give birth via C-section surgeries, which have higher costs and higher risks of complications for mothers and infants. Across Utah, hospitals’ first-time C-section rates averaged 9.8 percent in 2008, according to a report released Thursday by the Utah Department of Health.
A woman was six times more likely to have a cesarean delivery at St. Mark’s Hospital in Salt Lake County than at Fillmore Community Medical Center. And women were six times more likely to have such a delivery at Kane County Hospital than Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George.
Read on…
Tags: c-section, depression, perinatal, ppd, pregnancy, prenatal
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Monday, December 28th, 2009
Up to twenty percent of women suffer from depression while pregnant with some requiring medications. Is antidepressant use harmful during pregnancy?
Pregnancy is one of the happiest times of a woman’s life, but up to one in five women deal with depression during this all important time. Not only is this hard on the mom-to-be, but it can affect the health of the unborn baby. Depressed moms to be are more likely to drink, smoke, and eat a poor diet in a misguided attempt to deal with their depressed mood. Obviously, it’s important for the health of both mom and baby that the symptoms of depression be treated; but are antidepressants the answer? At one time, using antidepressants during pregnancy was considered to be safe, but now there questions about their safety.
Are Antidepressants Harmful During Pregnancy?
What are the risks of using antidepressants during pregnancy? There’s growing concern that using antidepressants during pregnancy may increase the risk of birth defects in the unborn baby. A class of drugs known as SSRI’s are being closely scrutinized since recent studies show they’re associated with a slightly higher risk of birth defects – particularly the drug Paxil. A study showed that women who took Paxil during the first trimester of pregnancy were two times more likely to give birth to babies with structural heart defects.
Read on …
Tags: antidepressants, depression, perinatal, perinatal depression, pregnancy, pregnancy and medication, pregnancy on medication
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Sunday, December 27th, 2009
A simple questionnaire during well-child exams is helping give new mothers and caregivers a chance to seek help for depression and stress in caring for young children.
The 1st Five program recruits primary care providers to improve surveillance and screening for child development, caregiver depression, family stress and autism, said Jen Stout, project coordinator for Polk and Dallas counties. The program then links families in need with community resources.
“Physicians understand the link between the mental health of the caregiver in the social-emotional development of children in the first three to five years. They understand the necessity and need for the screening. They just didn’t have the tools to know where to refer or the time to refer when the questions were asked,” Stout said.
Read on…
Tags: autism, depression, postpartum, postpartum depression, ppd, pregnancy
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Friday, December 25th, 2009
Resources on Eating Disorders During Pregnancy and Proper Weight Gain
Today “Good Morning America” shared the story of Beth Jones, who struggled with an eating disorder that continued during her three pregnancies. Jones, who is featured on a special program airing tonight on the Discovery Health called “‘I’m Pregnant and … I Have an Eating Disorder,” has spent much of her life obsessed with diet and exercise.
While Jones gave birth to healthy babies, “GMA” medical contributor Dr. Marie Savard says having an eating disorder during pregnancy can pose serious risks.
“Most women with eating disorders have a difficult time getting pregnant, and when they do there are risks,” Savard said.
But there is also good news. Savard says many women with eating disorders do actually get better during pregnancy. They often feel they are eating for the good of the baby and that concern outweighs the other issues that lead to the disordered eating. But others get depressed over the changes in their body shape and image, and may actually have more disordered eating. Many fall somewhere in between.
Read on…
Tags: depression, perinatal, ppd, pregnancy
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Thursday, December 24th, 2009
Lesley Pitt could hear babies crying when no one else could. Nightmares followed. So did inappropriate behaviour, jumping up and down on the bed and inconsolable crying. Then came thoughts of suicide.
The diagnosis was postnatal psychosis. It took anti-psychotic drugs to pull Ms Pitt out of the dungeon she was trapped in after her daughter, Sarah, was born.
The first sign of what was to follow was that the birth was difficult and ended in an emergency caesarean.
“I felt different right from that stage,” she says. “I felt like I had a completely different personality, I didn’t feel like myself.”
Ms Pitt didn’t talk to anyone, didn’t say a thing. All she knew was she didn’t feel normal.
Read on…
Tags: depression, perinatal, ppd, pregnancy, prenatal depression
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