Depression in
Pregnancy
Depression in pregnancy can take an expectant mother by surprise.
All of the other expectant moms are designing nurseries and
enjoying baby showers. Perhaps you can’t stop crying. Anxiety is
paralyzing you. You are unable to complete basic work-related or
household tasks. It sure doesn’t seem fair.
Depression is complicated, but one key reason depression hits some
of us in pregnancy is biological: it takes a whole lot
of nutrients and fats to grow a baby. As baby uses our nutrients to grow,
we are sometimes left short and one possible consequence is major
depression.
Depression in
pregnancy and nutrition linked
Medical research link nutrients and
depression:
•
Omega-3 fatty acids,
folate, and B-12 are used in clinical trials to alleviate
depression.
•
Low iron is associated with
fatigue and depression.
•
Clinical trials of
postpartum women low in iron find their depression alleviated with
iron supplementation.
•
Low zinc levels in the
brain are associated with depression. Shock therapy increases those
levels.
•
Low levels of magnesium
have been found in the cerebral-spinal fluid of suicide
victims.
And before you quit reading and think “nutrient deficiencies don’t
happen in advanced industrial countries.” Keep reading.
Poor nutritional
intake
Before
you got pregnant, you were not likely consuming adequate magnesium.
Sixty-four percent of us do not consume enough, according to
the National Health
and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the US Department of
Agriculture.
Nearly one quarter of young women do not consume adequate B-6 and
approximately 15% of young women do not consume adequate levels of
zinc, folic acid, and iron. The government requires food companies
to add folic acid to our cereal grain foods and many of us still do
not consume enough folic acid.
Added stress of
pregnancy
When
we are pregnant, our requirements for each of these nutrients
grows, particularly in the third trimester and while breastfeeding.
Baby’s brain requires our Omega-3 fatty acids, baby’s body and
placenta require iron. Babies require many building blocks and they
will take what they need from our bodies to build their own.
Our bodies store nutrients and babies will draw on these stores as
they need them. As those stores become depleted, our own bodies
begin to function less effectively. One of the consequences is
depression in pregnancy.
So if you are pregnant and struggling with depression, consider
your nutrient status. Improving your nutrient status will alleviate
your depression. Depending on other circumstances in your life,
nutrient therapy may take care of your depression in pregnancy
altogether.
Look first at your Omega-3 fatty acid and B-vitamin
intake. These
are common deficiencies and our need for them in the third
trimester of pregnancy and during breastfeeding is greater than at
any time in our life.
Ask your doctor to test your iron levels if he or she hasn’t
already. You may need to take a prenatal vitamin with iron, but you
should also increase the iron in your diet. We have extensive
information on iron rich foods in our downloadable e-book.
When baby arrives, do not give up on the fight. Depression in
pregnancy can turn into postpartum
depression symptoms. Pay attention to the basics: work on
your sleep and work on your nutrition. Get as much help as you can
manage. And give that sweet baby a hug from the rest of us.
:)