A large number of pregnant women develop depression syndrome. It’s extremely important that they take the right measures for beating the problem. If left untreated, depression syndrome during pregnancy can harm both the unborn baby and the expecting mother. Some of the worse consequences include difficulties at birth, premature birth, low birth weight of the baby, etc. What’s even more alarming is that untreated depression might lead to substance abuse harming the mother and her baby even more severely.
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| 6 Ways to Beat the Depression Syndrome During Pregnancy : Wiki Health Blog |
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Are you wondering whether it would be a good idea to take antidepressants to deal with pregnancy induced depression? If you are suffering from mild to moderate depression, your doctor would mostly likely ask you to beat the situation with some natural approaches. He or she would prescribe antidepressants only when you are experiencing moderate to severe depression symptoms or if the natural approaches adopted by you don’t show any result.
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The section below includes six of the most effective ways of dealing with and beating depression syndrome during pregnancy.
1. Accept and let others know that you are not well
This is the first and possibly the most important step in the process of overcoming pregnancy induced depression. If you are feeling sad, and seeing your emotional state deteriorating with every passing day, don’t try to hide how you are feeling. If you ignore depression and keep pretending that you are hale and hearty, the consequences can be serious both for you and the unborn baby. Begin by admitting your exact mental state to yourself and then share your feelings with your spouse, BFF or a close family member. Also, don’t forget to inform your doctor about the problem.
2. Undergo medical AOK
Inform your gynecologist about the depression symptoms you are experiencing; he or she would help you identify the exact cause of the problem and then treat it effectively. There are certain medical conditions such as thyroid disorders, anemia, hypoglycemia, and diabetes that can trigger depression symptoms. Undergoing a few simple blood tests will allow you to find out whether you have developed any of the above mentioned conditions. If you are diagnosed with any of the above mentioned health issues, undergoing appropriate treatment for the same might be enough for beating depression syndrome during pregnancy.
3. If required, pay for help
If talking to a near and dear one doesn’t seem enough to get rid of depression, seek help from an experienced psychological therapist. One therapy that’s known for helping expecting moms with depression is cognitive behavioral therapy. Undergoing this therapy would allow you to cope with depression more efficiently. You will be able to transform all the ineffective and harmful thinking patterns into successful skills to cope with challenging thoughts, behaviors, and emotions.
4. Follow a healthy diet plan
Most women develop severe craving for dairy and gluten during pregnancy. Excessive consumption of dairy and gluten can be the cause of mood problems in
pregnant women. Try to stay without diary and gluten for a couple of weeks (or if possible a month). If you see the depression symptoms improving, it’s confirmed that those food items were responsible for your mental health issues. In such situation, you should eliminate dairy and gluten from your regular diet. After going diary free, you must make sure that you are getting enough calcium from other food sources. To stay away from depression, also make sure that your pregnancy diet contains enough vitamin D, vitamin B12, and iron. Last, but definitely not the least, take the
best over the counter prenatal vitamin called folate. Folate, other than preventing your baby from developing neural tube defects, will also improve your response to different antidepressant medications.
5. Include exercise and yoga into your daily routine
A recent study has shown that half an hour of exercise every day helps in preventing depression and reducing depression symptoms during pregnancy. Another study, on the other hand, has shown that attending yoga classes during pregnancy is capable of reducing depression, increasing mindfulness, and improving the bond between the mother and her newborn.
6. Undergo bright light therapy
Expecting moms are typically recommended a daily dose of 10,000lx for 30 to 60 minutes per day (you will have to use a lightbox). If you find that the above mentioned dose is resulting in a hyper mood, undergo the therapy for 15 to 20 minutes. You can also alter the frequency of the therapy and use it on alternate days.
