Happy Mom = Happy Baby? Antidepressants and Pregnancy

Pregnancy and medicine is always a controversial subject. One of the numerous controversies that’s been brewing over the past several years is over the use of antidepressants in pregnancy and whether or not it’s important for a mother, who is already taking antidepressants, to continue her medicine during pregnancy. Obviously, the important question is – does it harm the fetus?

Studies are mixed and so are doctors’ opinions. Many in the medical community are coming out now and saying that it’s more important to have a happy mother throughout the pregnancy and if antidepressants are a way of reaching that goal, then it’s OK for the mother to continue her treatment throughout pregnancy. (The important caveat is that breastfeeding while on antidepressant therapy is not encouraged.) However, recent studies say that there may be a higher risk of premature births, smaller birth weights, and even autism if treatment is continued.

It may be important which antidepressant is taken during pregnancy as well. Generally, tricyclic antidepressants, certain SSRIs including Zoloft, and Wellbutrin are probably safe to take throughout pregnancy, but other tricyclic antidepressants may have a link to limb malformations if taken in the later months of pregnancy. As you can see, the literature and studies are mixed.

So, if you’re concerned, what can you do? Think about your happiness, because a happy mother equals a happy baby. If talk therapy works for you, you may be able to make it through without medication. If your pregnancy hormones are throwing your moods all out of whack and you’re not happy? It may be more important for you – and your baby – to maintain your medications throughout the entirety of pregnancy. (The famous internet celebrity, Dooce (Heather Armstrong) maintained her medication throughout her pregnancy and her daughter was fine.) As always, it’s important to work with your doctor to make the right choice for you.

But remember, if you’re happy, your baby is happy. Make the decision that’s right for you.

Comment Policy

All comments are moderated by The Feronia Project before they are posted. By registering with our site you agree to keep your comments within our posting guidelines. Ultimately all comments are approved at the discretion of the moderators at The Feronia Project. We’ve borrowed the six guiding principles below from Greenpeace because they really got it right (imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?)

1. The Feronia Project welcomes all users to join our community and to comment and treats all members of the community equally.

2. We want The Feronia Project to be home to open, transparent conversations in which people connect, discuss, share ideas, and debate the issues. Site your source if you are contradicting a statement made by the author.

3. We are also committed to maintaining a non-toxic atmosphere. We do not allow profanity, hate speech, nor do we allow speech that advocates or supports hatred or unlawful violence. Likewise, threats of violence or threats to anyone or any group's personal safety are not acceptable. We also do not allow false claims or misleading implications that any individual or group perpetuates hate or unlawful violence.

4. In order to preserve a functional and civil conversation, we do not allow trolls, trollish behavior, or stalking. We do not allow speech that is solely intended to provoke other users, to cause disorder or confusion, or to inhibit regular, on-topic conversation. In this area especially, we defer to the flags left by our users in the context of our growing community reputation system.

5. Be respectful of the blog author and community members by staying on topic with your comments.

6. Members of The Feronia Project deserve to be free from spam, and we do not allow posting the same comment multiple times within one thread or on multiple threads. We also flag and delete all comments containing business solicitations or other advertising of personal interests, blogs, or websites.

Comment Policy

Leave a Reply Cancel reply