It is your natural right to spend your pregnancy with the sweet excitement of your unborn baby. However, unfortunately, the pregnancy period, which is filled with mental distress, and the other factors that will be added to it (hormonal changes, emotional ups and downs, changes in your appearance, etc.) can turn the lives of many expectant mothers into a nightmare. According to the report given by the World Health Organization, while 10% of pregnant women and 13% of postpartum women in developed countries suffer from mental disorders, this rate is higher in developing countries (15.6% during pregnancy, 19.8% during puerperium) (Fisher et al., 2012). In very advanced cases that require psychiatric follow-up, I frequently encounter situations where medication is started during pregnancy after measuring the benefit-risk ratio. Psychiatric drugs are not prescribed in developed countries unless otherwise possible, on the grounds that they cause birth anomalies at a rate of 2% to 3%. (Merck Manual, 2007)
In addition, the most common situation we encounter in expectant mothers whose mental health is not good enough is the psychological problems they develop during the postpartum period following birth. While it is accepted that the worst-case scenario after birth is the mother harming herself and her baby due to severe depression or psychosis, we often encounter situations that seem simple but affect the quality of life of both the mother and the baby. In addition, it is very important to have a healthy bond between mother and baby during the period when the newborn baby needs his mother the most.
To avoid these situations, as a mental health expert, I recommend you to resolve your psychological conflicts before pregnancy. It would be best to take precautions before the traumas, phobias, attacks, and emotional states that you have difficulty coping with get out of control completely during pregnancy.
I also recommend that you continue your therapies from time to time, even if you feel neutral during your pregnancy. Changes that occur due to emotional ups and downs due to hormones can sometimes frighten expectant mothers, and they may tend to interpret these changes differently. While I find it important for your therapist to monitor these changes, I also recommend that expectant mothers during pregnancy prepare spiritually for the changes that await them after birth. His baby If you have decided to give birth to your baby, it is very important that you enjoy this miraculous period. Because pregnancy is a biopsychosocial period.
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