Post and Pre Natal Depression: What You Should Know

Pregnancy is one of the most exciting things for any woman to experience. But it is also among the toughest challenges that a woman can go through. Most pregnant women go under a lot of stress during their pregnancy.

If left unmanaged, stress may cause different health problems. And, one of these problems is depression. Women may either develop prenatal depression or post partum depression.

Prenatal depression is a type of depression that women develop during their pregnancy, while post partum depression is a type of depression that happens after giving birth to a child. Post and prenatal depression have similar symptoms. These symptoms are classified into two groups that include emotional symptoms and physical symptoms.

Among the emotional symptoms of postnatal and prenatal depression include anxiety, irritation, sadness and hopelessness. A woman suffering from depression may also tend to isolate herself from other people including her newborn baby or husband.

Post partum and prenatal depression also have physical symptoms, which include lack of focus and chronic fatigue. A woman who develops depression during pregnancy and after giving birth may also develop sleeping and eating disorder. When depressed, a woman may either lose her appetite or eat more than she used to. She may also have trouble going to sleep or she may tend to oversleep.

Now, there are a lot of things that you can do to avoid depression during and after pregnancy. First of all, you need to have an ideal diet. This means that you need to have a balanced meal, which also means that you need to eat vegetables, seafood and meat. You must also stay away from coffee while you're pregnant and after giving birth. During your pregnancy, you may drink tea as an alternative to coffee.

Another way to avoid or deal with depression is by exercising. Many studies proved that by exercising, a person's body produces dopamine and serotonin, which can help you feel good. It can also help regulate the flow of blood and oxygen that helps in absorbing and distributing nutrition to the whole body.

Now, there are still other ways to deal with depression and one such way is by learning how to meditate. This activity is very ideal because not only can it regulate your sleeping and eating habits, it can also help you bring harmony and balance to your mind, body and soul.