Pregnancy depression may harm baby

Being depressed during pregnancy might be bad for the baby, a study suggests. Expectant mothers with symptoms of severe depression are more than twice as likely to give birth prematurely as those with no signs of depression, according to the study, published in the journal Human Reproduction.

Premature births, even just a few weeks short of full term, can leave a baby at greater risk of infection, jaundice and longer hospitalisations.

Doctors don't know whether depression itself causes early births, or whether some underlying problem might cause depression and prematurity.

Either way, they say, women need to be aware that depression in pregnancy is common, might affect the baby and can be treated.

"Having a healthy mood is an essential part of having a healthy pregnancy," said Priya Batra, a Kaiser Permanente psychologist in Sacramento who specialises in women's health. "We want people to know that this is part of what the medical system can offer you."

That's an especially important message, because sometimes it can seem like the whole world expects pregnant women to be thrilled.

"That cultural myth, that you should be happy, you should be glowing, that adds to the stigma of being down," Batra said.

Kaiser Permanente facilities in and around Sacramento recently began screening all pregnant women for depression, she said, and offering them help ranging from classes to counselling to medication.

Desirae Tobey, whose son Chase was born healthy and full term in June, knows firsthand that sometimes pregnancy can be emotionally harrowing.

"I was having anxiety attacks at work," she said, made worse because she felt she was supposed to be happy and act as if nothing was wrong.

Meanwhile, she was battling morning sickness, exhaustion and a constant fear that "something bad is going to happen to my baby" because miscarriages run in her family.

Her first obstetrician didn't help, Tobey said, and she didn't feel listened to until she switched doctors. Continued...