I wrote a research paper on depression during pregnancy for an English class. This topict is something that I hold close to heart because I suffered from a severe depression while I was pregnant with my son. Depression during pregnancy is somewhat of a taboo and most of the time the mom doesn't feel like her feelings are valid while she is pregnant. I took antidepressants while I was pregnant and there is a stigma attached to taking anything that can negatively affect the fetus. But my son and I are both happy and healthy today, and managing my depression has everything to do with that. While researching antidepressant use during pregnancy I learned that untreated depression during pregnancy can lead to preterm birth and greatly increases the risk of developing postpartum depression. Recent studies have shown that postpartum depression negatively affects the infant's cognitive, emotional, and social development. The side effects of antidepressant use during pregnancy are serious but extremely rare. I am in no way an expert on this topic but my experience with antidepressants during pregnancy and postpartum has been a positive one. If you or someone you know is suffering from depression during pregnancy or otherwise please reach out to a health care professional, support and treatment are available.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The End is Nigh.
My husband and I watched a documentary on a guy who has been preaching the end of the world for at least 25 years, which happens to be about the length of time I've been alive. I wonder if this qualifies me as living on the edge? If it does I don't feel anymore dangerous than I did yesterday, other than I tried on a new mascara without my contacts in.
Seriously though, the movie got me into a panic. I started thinking about what I have in the pantry and how long the public water supply would last. I even thought of which neighbors I would shoot if the med supply got low. As we watched the movie I sank into a mixture of depression and anxiety. If society as I know it broke down, it's not the loss of government, convenience, or fast food that I would mourn. It would probably be the loss of my sense of security. Although the more that I think about it I don't really have a sense of security to begin with. I always feel that the media at large is constantly saying the world is crumbling around us. The fact that people like Sarah Palin are trying to tell me everything is going to be ok isn't helping. I might believe her if she was trying to sell me a bumpit, but not social security.
So what if? Well, we could head for the hills and build a cabin. This idea was shot down pretty quickly by the apocalyptic documentary, the guy said we'd probably be shot by the people who already live in cabins in the mountains. So, what do we do then? He basically said to pee on your lawn and grow your own food. Really.
Besides the idea of peeing on the very ground that my food is supposed to then grow from, it made sense: If you can grow your own food and learn to live off the land you'll make it. I am somewhat confidant that if I needed to, I could feed my small family with a garden. We would probably be happier that way really.
Phew. I feel a little better. Except that I can't even keep my houseplants green. I'm a woman who wants a cactus garden just so the plants last a little longer. I'll just count on some primordial instincts kicking in when I need them most. It may involve peeing on my lawn.
Seriously though, the movie got me into a panic. I started thinking about what I have in the pantry and how long the public water supply would last. I even thought of which neighbors I would shoot if the med supply got low. As we watched the movie I sank into a mixture of depression and anxiety. If society as I know it broke down, it's not the loss of government, convenience, or fast food that I would mourn. It would probably be the loss of my sense of security. Although the more that I think about it I don't really have a sense of security to begin with. I always feel that the media at large is constantly saying the world is crumbling around us. The fact that people like Sarah Palin are trying to tell me everything is going to be ok isn't helping. I might believe her if she was trying to sell me a bumpit, but not social security.
So what if? Well, we could head for the hills and build a cabin. This idea was shot down pretty quickly by the apocalyptic documentary, the guy said we'd probably be shot by the people who already live in cabins in the mountains. So, what do we do then? He basically said to pee on your lawn and grow your own food. Really.
Besides the idea of peeing on the very ground that my food is supposed to then grow from, it made sense: If you can grow your own food and learn to live off the land you'll make it. I am somewhat confidant that if I needed to, I could feed my small family with a garden. We would probably be happier that way really.
Phew. I feel a little better. Except that I can't even keep my houseplants green. I'm a woman who wants a cactus garden just so the plants last a little longer. I'll just count on some primordial instincts kicking in when I need them most. It may involve peeing on my lawn.
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