‘Extreme Makeover’ star inspires column
Only 49 days to go before my baby is due. Thank goodness! Pregnancy is miraculous and I am thrilled to be able to experience it but, like I’ve said before, it’s not my favorite state of being. When I wrote previously about some of the problems that come with pregnancy, I got an e-mail from a reader chastising me and saying that “fewer whiny pregnancy and parenting clichés would make you and your column more credible and much more thought provoking.”
I wrote back thanking her for her constructive criticism but said that I am just trying to write honestly about what pregnancy and parenting have been like for me — they’re different for everyone.
Last week, I interviewed Paige Hemmis, from “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” She will be in town tomorrow talking about her struggle with depression. At the risk of sounding whiny and making pregnancy clichés, I thought this might be a good time for me to write about the depression that I and many other women have experienced during pregnancy.
Paige admitted that she’d struggled with depression for years before really knowing what she was dealing with. I’ve dealt with it on and off since I was a child.
According to the March of Dimes, as many as 20 percent of women have symptoms of depression during pregnancy and those who have had previous bouts of depression are at much higher risk.
For me, it was the worst during the first trimester but has again reared its ugly head now that I am in the third trimester. Bless my husband and daughter for their patience in dealing with my mood swings. It hasn’t been easy.
The hormonal roller coaster of pregnancy is mostly to blame for pregnancy depression. I’ve researched it as much as possible but found that there is very little information out there beyond the basic definition of depression and the fact that pregnant women dealing with it should talk to their doctors.
I’ve found the biggest help on Internet chat boards where women in similar situations discuss what they’re going through. It’s always good to know that you’re not alone. Depression in pregnancy is a real thing that many women deal with but it doesn’t mean that we love our children any less. Maybe if more people talked openly about it, it would be better understood.
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