How to Get Through Pregnancy with Mental Health Issues

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Written by Psychologist, Nikolina Miljus

Intense emotions that follow hormonal changes and high-stress circumstances of pregnancy can awaken or worsen mental health issues in pregnancy.

There are ways to cope with this challenging situation.

You cannot only get through the pregnancy without risking your or your baby’s safety but also enjoy the experience of bringing the new life into the world despite a mental health disorder diagnosis.

Pregnancy is a stressful time for any woman.

You are undergoing a tremendous physical change while you are adjusting to your new role as a mother.

Our hormones are running wild, and you’re juggling your relationship, work, finances, and social life.

You become more sensitive to changes affecting your body, and your mind becomes burdened with expectations of motherhood, even if only on the unconscious level.

The stress of pregnancy can quickly become overwhelming for any woman’s coping capacities.

Mental health issues in pregnancy

As recent research uncovers, one in four women encounters mental health issues during pregnancy, even if they didn’t have any mental health concerns in the past.

Psychological well-being in pregnancy is as an important aspect as is your physical health, and there is no reason to be ashamed.

Prior mental health issues make you more vulnerable to pregnancy stressors, making the relapse more likely.

Aside from increasing the chance of your symptoms worsening, previous mental health issues increase the chances for antenatal and postnatal depression, too.

Mood disorders including depression and anxiety, together with obsessive-compulsive disorder are the most common.

Women who have bipolar disorder are also at a higher risk of manic or depressive episodes during their pregnancy.

Moms who are on psychiatric medications also face a genuine concern – will the psychotropic medication harm your unborn baby?

Coping with mental health issues when you are pregnant

If this were an ideal world, your pregnancy would be planned well ahead and your therapy adjusted accordingly.

However, in the real world, up to 50% of pregnancies are unplanned and dealing with the challenge of getting through pregnancy when you have mental health issues often finds you unprepared.

If you’re planning to get pregnant or are dealing with mental health issues in pregnancy, here are some basic guidelines on how to get through pregnancy when you have mental health issues:

1. Seek outside support

Even if you and your partner planned for a baby and are aware of risks your mental health disorder might contribute to the pregnancy, it is safer to include all professional services available to you in the process.

Tell your midwife or OB-GYN about your psychiatric history, and, of course, consult your therapist about your pregnancy worries.

Getting outside help is vital if you are facing the nine months of pregnancy without adequate emotional and social support.

The stress of pregnancy alone can be too much, but when combined with single motherhood, financial insecurity and symptoms of mental health disorder can be too overwhelming for anyone.

The people around you, whether through social services, prenatal classes or counseling can help you cope with some of this stress.

The last thing you’ll want to do is to stop taking your medications on your own, without consulting your doctor.

Not only do many of the psychiatric medications carry the risk of withdrawal symptoms, but also, as you’ll see in the next section, in many cases they ensure that you and your baby both remain healthy during and after the pregnancy.

2. Make informed decisions

Seeing two lines on a pregnancy test when you are on psychotropic medication, be it antidepressants, anti-anxiety medication or mood stabilizers, almost always raises the alarm about the potential harm to your unborn baby.

Most women are very aware that even too much coffee is not advised when you are pregnant, and it is common to fear that medication that helps you carry on with your everyday life is harming your baby.

Weighing the negatives from medication versus the consequences of unstable mental health during pregnancy requires professional help.

Once again, stopping your therapy without an OK from your doctor is not a good idea.

This doesn’t mean that the risks of medication are not real.

Instead, what you need to do is weigh in your options together with a medical professional to see what is best for you and your baby.

While some medications can cause birth defects and affect how your baby develops, others are relatively safe in pregnancy.

Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications commonly used for major depressive disorders and OCD generally have pregnancy-safe alternatives, while things are more difficult for women who are taking mood stabilizers or antipsychotic medication.

If you are diagnosed with bipolar disorder or are on antipsychotic medication, it is worth discussing long-term therapy plan with your doctor even if you’re not planning to get pregnant in the near future, but are in a long-term relationship.

However, leaving your mental disorder untreated can have a devastating effect on you and your baby, too.

Not being able to get out of your bed for days because you’re severely depressed, or being tormented by severe anxiety and stress, not to mention far more life-threatening symptoms is obviously harmful.

Stress, eating disorders and being unable to take care of your body can affect how your baby develops and can also make it more difficult for you to bond with your newborn.

3. Accept your pregnancy as it is

Every pregnancy is unique, and while yours might be more demanding and complicated by emotional turmoil, it still is a positive, life-changing experience.

But, there is one aspect of pregnancy when you’re diagnosed with mental health disorder that you should take care of as soon as possible.

The social stigma surrounding mental health and pregnant women is something you do not need in your life.

When you are committed to taking care of yourself and ensuring only the best for your baby, don’t waste your energy on hurtful thoughts.

Mental health issues are not your fault, and you are no less deserving than any other woman to be a mother.

You are not a bad mother if you take medication.

What you might feel during the pregnancy, when you’re still developing coping strategies, says little about how much you’ll love your baby or how good a mother you’ll be.

You will encounter a wide range of new emotions when pregnant.

Some of them will frighten you, or even scare people around you.

These are entirely normal and also expected in pregnancy, not because you have a mental health disorder, but simply because your body is functioning under a strong hormonal influence.

Talk about them and deal with them as they happen, possibly with your therapist or other women.

4. Take care of yourself

Pregnancy is a challenging time because it makes you re-examine the way you see yourself, your partner and your closest relationships.

This emotional process can overwhelm any woman.

Women diagnosed with mental health disorder are more vulnerable during pregnancy, and you will need to take extra care of yourself, both physically and emotionally

Taking care of your body ensures that your baby is healthy.

It also helps you cope with stress better when you are as free of physical stress as much as it is possible for any pregnant woman to feel.

Light prenatal exercise, yoga or even regular walks can help you to connect with your body positively.

If you feel unmotivated, keep in mind the main reason you’re doing this – to keep you and your baby healthy.

Give yourself a chance to process the feelings, even the negative ones, and put them into perspective.

Every woman can reach a moment in her pregnancy when she bursts out with anger or cries for no reason.

You might not feel especially emotionally connected with your baby or feel as if you just want the pregnancy to end.

Feelings like these are common unless they last for too long and are becoming too intense.

If you notice your symptoms are worsening or encounter sadness, anxiety, fear or increase in any of your symptoms, reach out and get professional support.

Don’t keep things bottled up and pretend things are fine even when they’re not.

Mental health disorders make pregnancy more challenging; there is no way around it.

If you are diagnosed with a mental health disorder, and reading this while preparing to get pregnant–plan ahead.

Discuss your treatment options with your therapist and work on adjusting your medications together.

When you can tackle the challenge of pregnancy with a diagnosis before it arises, you have far better chances to cope successfully.

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