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You’re in week 17 of your pregnancy—almost halfway through the second trimester. Here’s what’s happening this week with you and your baby.
How Big is Baby?
Measuring just over 5 inches long this week, baby is slightly taller than a can of soda.
What’s New with Baby?
Chubby cheeks and wrist rolls—is there anything more kissable? But baby is just starting to make fat tissue. And this isn’t quite the stuff of chunk, yet. Right now, this fat tissue is for helping to regulate baby’s body temperature and metabolism.
What’s New with Mom?
Though you’re feeling more energic and morning sickness is (hopefully) a thing of the past, some uncomfortable symptoms might still be cropping up. Nosebleeds and nasal congestion can be common around this time in pregnancy. Keep the tissues handy!
Fun Fact
Those sweet little hands and feet are getting some cute details. This week, baby’s fingerprints are set and their toenails are just starting to form.
Your Mental Health During Pregnancy
You know that growing a human involves many physical changes, but pregnancy can have a great impact on your mind too. From perinatal depression or anxiety to body image challenges, there are many ways your pregnancy might impact your mental health.
Perinatal depression
“Perinatal depression is actually the most common complication of pregnancy,” says Dr. Jenny Tan, a psychiatrist at UT Southwestern Medical Center. This includes depression that begins during pregnancy (prenatal depression) and depression that begins after the baby is born (postpartum depression). It affects as many as 1 in 7 women, and the percentages are even higher among women who are also dealing with poverty or teen parents.
Jenny Tan, M.D., is an assistant professor and psychiatrist in the Department of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Carrie McAdams, M.D., Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She specializes in the treatment of eating disorders.
Symptoms can start anytime during pregnancy or in the first year postpartum. Though they vary widely from person to person, they may include feelings of sadness and hopelessness, anxiety about the health of your infant, a lack of interest in your baby, anger, irritability, guilt or fear. Changes in appetite and sleep, difficulty concentrating and making decisions, thoughts of harming the baby or oneself are other signs.
Does some of that sound familiar? Indeed, many normal pregnancy and postpartum symptoms overlap with perinatal depression, making the condition easily missed or misdiagnosed. Hormones can make you feel emotional while pregnant, and after birth, up to 85% of new moms experience postpartum blues, a more mild and temporary form of depression that resolves once hormones level out.
“Additionally, a new mom may not recognize their symptoms because she is exhausted, sleep deprived, overwhelmed, or simply adjusting to life with a baby. New parents may think this is a normal part of parenthood and might be afraid of being seen as ungrateful or complaining. Lots of women blame themselves rather than realizing this is a medical condition and not a sign of personal failure,” says Tan.
If you think you could be experiencing perinatal depression, don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed of your feelings. The majority of women struggling with perinatal depression are treated safely and effectively in the outpatient setting, but early recognition and treatment can make all the difference.
Pregnant women can be treated for depression in a number of ways. “Treatment might include increased self-care, rallying social and family support, talk therapy or counseling, or treatment of symptoms with medication when necessary,” says Tan.
And if you’re worried that treatment could affect your baby, Tan says to consider how not treating depression might impact them. “Aside from the potential to worsen mom’s mental health, untreated illness can also have risks to the pregnancy and fetus. This includes increased risks of preterm delivery, low birth weight, poor nutritional status, gestational diabetes, and increased substance use.”
Bottom line: If you’re experiencing ongoing sadness or anxiety, tell someone. “Do not ‘watch and wait’ to see if things get better on their own,” says Tan. “Talking to your health care provider about your symptoms and concerns might be the most important step you can take for yourself and your family.
You can also contact the National Crisis Text Line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by texting HELLO to 741741, or Call the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.
Body image
It’s very common to experience a change in your relationship with your body while trying to conceive, pregnant and postpartum. “People are more satisfied when their internal ideas about who they are and what they look like are aligned with their physical appearance and abilities,” says Dr. Carrie McAdams , a psychiatrist at UT Southwestern Medical Center. “Pregnancy requires people to readjust their expectations about themselves.”
Body dissatisfaction during pregnancy can sometimes prompt women to severely restrict their eating or trigger a relapse of an eating disorder. And instances of perinatal depression are four times higher in women who have a negative body image.
So how can you embrace your pregnant body? “Recognize that pregnancy is temporary and that changes are in the best interest of their child can help people in adjusting one’s mindset,” suggests McAdams. “There are several therapeutic approaches to help with body-image during pregnancy, such as resetting expectations to increase self-acceptance and learning to ask oneself if you are being kind to yourself can reduce body-related criticism. Avoiding comparisons with other people’s pregnancies is also important, as every pregnancy is unique.”
And if you find body image concerns intensifying or interfering with your ability to eat, sleep or function, reach out to your doctor.
Other mental health concerns in pregnancy
The following are some other mental health conditions that can arise in pregnancy or during the postpartum period.
Anxiety: Up to 6% of pregnant women and 10% of postpartum develop anxiety, including generalized anxiety, postpartum panic disorder or postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder. Compulsions may involve the mom doing certain things over and over in order to reduce or avoid the obsessions, such as constant cleaning, sanitizing, or checking behavior.
“Repetitive, intrusive images and thoughts are very distressing and can feel like they come out of nowhere,” says Tan. “Research has shown that these obsessions are anxious in nature, not delusional, and have an extremely low risk of being acted upon.”
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Around 9% of women experience PTSD following childbirth. “Most often, this illness is caused by a real or perceived trauma during delivery or postpartum. These traumas could include medical or surgical complications during the delivery, baby going to the NICU, or feelings of powerlessness or poor communication. Women who have experienced a previous trauma, such as rape or sexual abuse, are also at a higher risk for experiencing postpartum PTSD,” says Tan.
Bipolar disorder: Less common, some women may experience the extreme highs or lows of bipolar disorder during the peripartum period. “This is usually characterized by cyclical deep depression along with discrete periods of very high energy, decreased need for sleep, and dramatic shift in mood (mania). Many women are diagnosed for the first time with bipolar depression or mania during pregnancy or postpartum,” says Tan.
Postpartum psychosis: This is the least common reaction—approximately 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 deliveries—but is the most severe and should be treated as a medical emergency. Postpartum psychosis involves a disruption in a person’s sense of reality and may include delusions, hallucinations or paranoia. Tan explains, “the onset is usually sudden, most often within the first two weeks postpartum, but can appear any time in the first year.”
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This blog is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute the provision of medical advice or professional services. This blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
The above article was written by DFWChild editor Amanda Collins Bernier with information provided by UT Southwestern Medical Center as part of their sponsored content.
