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Pre-baby Blues
Depression Before Baby Arrives
By Shannon McKelden
"Women may feel shamed about reporting that they are not excruciatingly happy during pregnancy, and little routine depression screening is done by OB/GYNs during pregnancy," Greene says. She adds that we tend to think of "blues" as relatively benign and fleeting, leaving physicians and pregnant mothers thinking no treatment is necessary.
Jennie Joseph, a licensed midwife, agrees. "We are just now slowly beginning to accept the idea that postpartum depression is a problem at all, in part because of recent celebrity disclosures," says Joseph, also the clinical director of The Birth Place in Winter Garden, Fla. "In my experience, pregnancy depression is as common as other pregnancy discomforts and disorders but has been swept under the rug as a taboo subject because our society does not like to deal with uncomfortable situations."
In fact, Joseph prefers not to use the word "blues." "It connotes a less serious side of depression and one, perhaps, that women could just 'snap out of' if they would so choose," she says. "'The blues' are a normal and expected part of childbearing and I believe a necessary component to encourage pregnant women to become more in tune with the emotional side of parenting. Depression, on the other hand, is a serious condition that needs to be addressed every time it manifests."
Francine's feelings progressed far beyond the blues. "My worry turned into panic attacks, which turned into full-blown anxiety and depression," she says. "Then I began having these weird feelings of paranoia." She became afraid to walk past windows at night for fear someone was going to shoot her. She was sure someone was breaking into the house or standing in the corner of her bedroom at night. "I worried about the baby constantly," she says. "I worried about my ability to take care of her."
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