Everyone expects you to be cheery during pregnancy, but pregnancy depression is more common than we think. What is it like to have Antenatal Depression? Christina Rutherford shares her story with theAsianparent.
What is pregnancy depression?
My Pregnancy was pretty normal, except for the fact that I developed Antenatal Depression (AD) in my seventh month of pregnancy!
As you can imagine, my pregnancy depression was simply horrible. I didn’t want to work or talk to anyone, and I didn’t even want my baby. Sometimes, I would think of ways to induce labor early just so I wouldn’t be pregnant. I know that sounds horrible, but it got to such a terrible point where my family really noticed the change and was about to get help for me.
I finally decided to call my Doctor, who immediately put me on anti-depressants, which helped my pregnancy depression lot. Before the AD, my fiance and I were so excited about having a child. In fact, we started getting everything ready months before I was due.
I had her room ready by eights months! But while we were on top of the moon, we naturally were a little terrified as we were first-time parents!
Like Christina, you too may be given anti-depressants if you find yourself suffering from pregnancy depression.
The Labor Itself
I was induced on September 9th 2007, at 5:30 in the morning. The Doctor advised that if I didn’t induce then (I was pushing 39 weeks) I might not be able to push her out as I was already quite large (we were expecting a 4 kg baby).
When he induced me, I had dilated about two cm. When they checked me four hours later, I was just 2 1/2 cm. I couldn’t help but wonder if the medicine would indeed work. Finally at about 10 am, my water bag broke. By then my contractions were about every three to four minutes and were coming fast and furious.
“My doctor told me the cord was wrapped around her neck and foot”
By about 3:30pm, I hit four cm and got an Epidural. Sometime in the evening, at about 6 p.m. my Doctor came in and said he didn’t like the way my baby’s heart rate was pacing. So, he inserted internal monitors to check on her.
At 6:30, he informed me that both of our temperatures had shot up to almost 39 degree celcious and my blood pressure was soaring through the roof. In addition, my baby’s heart rate was dipping with each contraction. These issues, coupled with the fact that I had only dilated to five cm, made my doctor decide to have me go for a c-section.
I was growing more concerned about my daughter and the fact that my epidural was wearing off! When I got in the operating room they gave me three more doses of the medicine. We’d thought that the last one worked but when they started cutting I felt everything! So they had to put me under general anesthesia right there and then!
My fiance, who was already freaking out before this, started panicking even more. In recovery, my Doctor told me the cord was wrapped around her neck and foot. But she was a completely healthy baby girl. We were both on I.V. antibiotics every six hours for four days. Then we were released home.
From The Editor
According to a study carried out in 2001 by Dr Jonathan Evans at Bristol University, around ten per cent of women experience some form of depression during pregnancy. If you feel you are suffering from a low mood then you should talk to your GP, gynea or someone you can trust.
Your GP might be able to suggest forms of help such as counselling. If your pregnancy depression is severe they may suggest a course of antidepressants which are be safe to take while pregnant.
READ: Paano Lalabanan ang postpartum anxiety