Pregnancy is a season of life filled with lots of physical and emotional changes. Maybe you have waited a long time for a baby, or perhaps the pregnancy was a surprise and you are still adjusting to the news.
It is common to have financial, health, family, living arrangements, or other concerns that come up during the pregnancy. These additional life stressors or the hormones of pregnancy can lead to mood changes as well.
Many women experience mood changes during pregnancy and up until one year after the birth for their babies. It is natural to have mild symptoms that include feeling tired, irritable, worried, or occasionally sad during this same time span. But if these symptoms last more than a couple of weeks or interfere with regular daily activities, you may need to discuss them with your healthcare provider. You are more susceptible to depression or anxiety if you have a history of depression or drug/alcohol abuse, family history of mental illness, poor support from family and friends, problems with a previous pregnancy, relationship or financial concerns.
The following are symptoms that are sometimes associated with depression/anxiety during pregnancy and important to discuss with your provider if they persist for more than a few weeks:
- Feeling sad, depressed, restless, irritable and/or crying a lot
- Loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy
- Physical symptoms like frequent headaches, chest pain, heart palpitations, numbness/tingling, or hyperventilation
- Feeling worthless or guilty
- Strong anxiety, tension, and/or fear especially if they are unfounded
- Sleep problems which lead to “always feeling tired”, could be too much or too little sleep
- Thoughts of wanting to die, thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else
- Having low energy even after periods of adequate rest
- Loss of or increase in appetite or weight
- Trouble focusing, remembering things, or making decisions
Eating a healthy diet, participating in approved exercises, adequate sleep, developing a strong social support network, and reducing stress will often help control the mood changes experienced with pregnancy. If these do not help with your symptoms your provider may be able to help.
