A quarter of all our mothers either during or after their pregnancies experience an episode of depression

Beyond Blue Australia quotes that “Around 10 per cent of pregnant women in Australia experience antenatal depression” That is depression during pregnancy. Combined with the 16 percent that experience post natal depression – over a quarter of all our mothers either during or after their pregnancies experience an episode of depression. Those figures are staggering.

Like most life changing moments in our lives becoming a mother for the first or third time can and does make a great impact. Experiencing postnatal depression myself after the birth of my first child caused me to re-evaluate how I saw depression overall. Trying to keep it to myself only made it harder for me to function. Juggling life and keeping all the balls in the air (so to speak) made for a life that wasn’t stable. The balls did fall and the aftermath was that the world didn’t crumble as I thought it would, it actually opened avenues of help.

Now in practice I’m seeing the increase in antenatal depression. Harder to detect I suppose due to the fact that we often just dismiss a mother that is struggling with her pregnancy as she is just learning to cope. But we see her sometimes not developing a bond with her unborn child, a detachment to the pregnancy as if it were happening to someone else. She might also experience some of these symptoms;

• Inability to concentrate and difficulty remembering

• Difficulty making decisions

• Anxiety about the pregnancy or becoming parents

• Feeling emotionally numb

• Extreme irritability

• Sleep problems not related to the pregnancy

• Extreme or unending fatigue

• A desire to eat all the time or not wanting to eat at all

• Weight loss or weight gain not related to pregnancy

• Loss of interest in sex

• A sense that nothing feels enjoyable or fun anymore, including the pregnancy

• Feeling like a failure, feelings of guilt

• Persistent sadness

• Thoughts of death or suicide

Giving a mother the support she needs to venture out and discuss her feelings is one of the greatest gifts that we can offer her. Encourage her gently to open up about these issues or letting her know that should she need it your door is always open. Hopefully the mothers that we see in practice here at Hillarys Chiropractic know that the practice stands behind them during and after their pregnancies. Looking after their spinal health is an important link in the mothers and child’s overall health and well being.

For more information please see

Beyond Blue

Panda