Natural treatment for prenatal depression

Some estimates say that as much as 10 percent of all pregnant women will deal with prenatal depression - feelings of being depressed during pregnancy. Prenatal depression is as serious as any other form of depression, and it deserves and requires the right treatment. It is of key importance to reach out when you are feeling depressed while expecting a baby, because help is available and there is no need to continue struggling with depression all by yourself. At the same time, it is completely natural to feel resistance towards taking allopathic antidepressant medications, due to (valid!) fears that these may harm your unborn baby. Are there any natural treatment options for prenatal depression, which are safe during pregnancy?

If you are not sure whether or not you are suffering from prenatal depression, feel free to get in touch with your doctor to discuss your feelings. He or she will ask you questions and discuss prenatal depression symptoms with you. In some cases, therapy alone is enough to deal with prenatal depression and needless to say, that does not pose any risk to unborn babies. Therefore, you should consider starting off with therapy. Ask your doctor to refer you to a counselor that specializes in prenatal depression. There are some herbs that are very effective antidepressant treatments for many people.

Unfortunately, St Johns Wort is not safe to take during pregnancy or while you are breastfeeding or more accurately said, not enough is known about the effects of this potent herb on a fetus or infant. The same often goes for traditional antidepressant medication, though. If you have any doubts, speaking to both allopathic doctors and herbalists, practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) or naturopaths can give you the knowledge you need to make an informed decision about your medication or treatment. If you are curious what another serious form of depression, infertility depression, can do to a woman, also take a look at our story woman tried to steal baby at gunpoint after faking pregnancy.