depression prevention for pregnancy

Prevention is better than cure....that's an old proverb, but no one ever thinks about depression prevention the way they do about preventing infection, say.

While reading about whether or not you might be predisposed to developing depression in pregnancy , you might have begun wondering what steps you can take to AVOID it and all its consequences.

1. Plan your pregnancy 2. Professional Services 3. Useful Links

Let's face it, and those of you who have had a pregnancy depression before will likely agree with me on this, it's a whole lot better to accept that it may well come, and prepare for it, than it is to stick you head in the sand and be knocked over by the tidal wave of depression.

Plan your pregnancy

The most important thing to do is to tell the doctor who is treating, or has treated you in the past for, your depression that you are considering getting pregnant. (This is MOST important if you have bipolar illness .) This means that you will create the best possible support structure for yourself right from the very beginning of your pregnancy rather than having to find it within yourself to access support when you already feel overwhelmed. Discuss what you want to do about medication with your prescribing doctor after you have read our page on antidepressant use in pregnancy. Do this before you fall pregnant if you can because if you DO want to try to come off your antidepressants for your pregnancy it is much better to do so very slowly rather than suddenly.

Get the best professional services

Where I work, midwives ask EVERY SINGLE woman if they have a history of depression and also about their current mood. Women who are at risk can be referred to a fantastic supportive group of midwives who specialise in looking after ladies with mood disorders. And they are most often seen by a consultant obstetrician who specialises in the area. They are also referred to perinatal psychiatric services super-quick if they need to be. I know that this kind of state-of-the-art depression prevention care is not available everywhere but you can always get better support if you ask for it. I didn't, when I was pregnant, by the way. I struggled on silently not realising that there was help out there. I thought that I would be bothering someone, that they were all too busy with women who had REAL problems in pregnancy to find extra time for me and my feeble depression. Now I know these support structures exist I shall make sure I access them next time I am pregnant.

If your healthcare is privately-funded you may need to take more control of your own depression prevention. Make your obstetrician aware that you are risk for depression in pregnancy and ask him what support services he can suggest. If you are booking with a private midwife, do the same. It helps to be with a small midwife practice, or a single midwife, who will look after your care all the way through. This means that you can see the same person on every visit, develop a trusting relationship and thus be better supported. Find a midwife or doctor that you like and trust. Don't be shy to ask to be referred to someone else or to 'interview' until you find the right person for you.

For more depression prevention tips also look at our treatment page.

Useful links