About Using Antidepressants During Pregnancy

Suddenly halting antidepressant use can have a serious effect on a person. Plunging into profound depression is a high risk of stopping medication abruptly, and anyone taking antidepressants is constantly warned not to put aside their pills without first consulting a doctor and following a careful plan to wean off the medication. Risking suicidal thoughts or severe depression most often outweighs the risk to baby's health, as one is greater than the other. For sure, this places pregnant women in a situation full of worry. If they don't stop their medication, will baby be safe? Will there be long-term consequences to their child because of antidepressant use during pregnancy?

The answers on the effects of mood-altering prescription medication during pregnancy aren't yet clear enough to help women make concise decisions. Doctors to tend to agree that a depressed woman who is expecting can be unhealthy, which means that baby does end up suffering. A depressed mother can lose weight, sleep too much, be sedentary and lack taking steps to ensure personal care, as well as being suicidal. Pregnant women need to be able to take care of themselves and their baby and make clear, responsible choices, a difficult thing to do when depression seizes their life.

Antidepressant medication and pregnancy need to be weighed carefully, risk versus risk. Most medications on the market today have shown some adverse effects on unborn babies and the deeper scientists plunge, the less the outlook for antidepressants seems positive. Paxil has been linked to heart defects when taken in the first three months of pregnancy and Prozac has shown to be correlated to a rare but serious lung problem when used in the latter months. Tricyclic medication is definitely one that has shown to have adverse effects on fetuses and doctors stay away from this type of antidepressant when a pregnant woman is concerned.

The decision to take antidepressants during pregnancy or avoid them is a heavy one and pros and cons need to be carefully weighed. Consulting a physician is the most important thing to do, and you and your doctor will work together to come to an answer for this dilemma. Sometimes, other methods of treating depression, such as support groups, acupuncture or yoga and relaxation exercises can be helpful, but cases of more severe depression don't always respond well to alternative therapies.

100 Promises to My Baby

A lyrical ode to maternal love -- and a universal expression of every mother's hopes and dreams for her child

I promise to love you with no conditions. I promise to try to teach you through example, not words. I promise to help you develop a love for your culture and heritage. I promise to show you that there are infinite possibilities in every moment. I promise to help you see and develop your unique talents. As she eagerly awaited the birth of her first child, Mallika Chopra began to craft a unique gift that would express her profound loving commitment to the baby growing inside of her.

100 Promises to My Baby is that gift -- a covenant with her child that reflected her own deepening awareness of the sacred responsibilities of parenthood. Here the author shares the vows she made to help her child grow up feeling cherished and secure, look at the world with wonder and curiosity, and learn spiritual values that would enrich her own life and contribute to making the world a better place. This audio will inspire listeners to think about their own lives, values, and beliefs, and what they would like to pass on to their children.