Some Basic
Pointers (Week 24)
Depression during Pregnancy
There haven't been many write-ups
on depression during pregnancy versus
postpartum depression. But the fact
remains that 25% of all pregnant women
go through depression and nearly 10%
experience major depression. Your
body goes through many changes; some
of the depression symptoms are hard
to tell from pregnancy symptoms. Many
pregnancy symptoms like fatigue and
sleeplessness are similar to depression
symptoms. The difference lies in the
length and intensity of these symptoms.
Other depression symptoms include:
• Overwhelming unhappiness that
goes on for days with no apparent
reason
• Difficulty sleeping and waking
early
• Feeling listless all the time
• Loss of appetite
• Lack of concentration
• Thoughts of inflicting harm
on self
If these symptoms persist and you
don't seem to feel better for days
at end, seek advice from your doctor.
There are medications that can help
and are safe to use during pregnancy.
Counseling may also be necessary.
Whatever it is, don't ignore this
thinking it will go away by itself.
Other ways of going around this problem
include exercise, vitamin B, folic
acid and omega-3 fatty acids intake
and some massage therapy. Another
option is light therapy. A depressed
person exposed to bright white fluorescent
light for an hour a day for about
a week have shown signs of improvement.
Bright lights have a positive effect
on moods, triggering the release of
certain hormones to help deal with
depression. If you believe you are
depressed bring this up at your prenatal
visit and let your doctor help you.
It is important to help yourself and
in turn your baby.
Sex and Pregnancy
Generally women experience either
of the two sex drive patterns during
pregnancy. One is a lessening of desire
in the 1st and final trimester with
an increase in the middle trimester.
The other is a gradual disinterest
in sexual relations as pregnancy advances.
Fatigue and nausea in the first trimester
and third trimester discomforts such
as abdomen size, weight gain and tenderness
puts you off sex. Discuss these with
your partner instead of keeping your
feelings to yourself and causing distance
in the relationship. For some it is
the contrary. Sex has never been better;
some enjoy orgasms, even multiple
orgasms for the first time ever. This
is due to increased blood flow to
the pelvis and hormonal changes. Avoid
lying on your back after 16 weeks
until the baby is born because weight
of uterus will restrict circulation
thereby endangering your baby. try
different positions like lying on
your sides or the woman on top position.
in some situations total abstinence
is the best. Avoid intercourse if
you have a history of early labor
and miscarriage. Other situations
where sex isn't such a good idea are
placenta previa, low lying placenta,
vaginal bleeding, an incompetent cervix,
pain with intercourse, vaginal discharge
or you believe labor has begun. a
definite NO-NO is blowing air into
the vagina, inserting any foreign
object into the vagina that could
cause you injury or infection.
Incompetent cervix
This refers to painless premature
dilatation of the cervix with the
mother giving birth prematurely. Dilatation
or stretching of the cervix goes unnoticed
and happens without warning. Diagnosis
is only possible after 1 or 2 pregnancies
and not before. So if this is your
first pregnancy, there is no way of
telling you have this problem. The
cause is unknown but some link has
been made to D&C done for abortion
or miscarriage, causing injury and
surgery to the cervix. A pregnancy
that is lost due to this problem is
different from miscarriage. While
miscarriage in the first trimester
is common, incompetent cervix is rare.
Treatment is usually surgery where
the weak cervix is reinforced with
a suture. If you have had incidence(s)
of premature deliveries in the past,
highlight this to your doctor.
Noise and your Baby
Studies show that sounds can penetrate
the amniotic sac and reach your fetus
developing ears. Chronic loud noise
and short intense bursts of sound
may cause hearing damage to the fetus
before and after birth. Every once
in a while it is ok for your baby
to hear loud noises coming from a
concert for example but repeated exposure
that is deafening may pose a danger
to your baby's hearing.
