Experiencing depression during pregnancy is not uncommon.
"Low mood, appetite problems, sometimes increased or decreased eating, more often decreased, maybe weight loss, sleep problems, real difficulty falling asleep, a lot of negative kind of ruminations, negative ideation about things," explained the Chair of MSU's Department of Psychiatry, Dr. Jed Magen.
He told us it's important to keep an eye on an expectant mother's behaviors.
"You can certainly ask them how they're feeling. If you're worried at all, you know, getting somebody in to see a physician just to check that, is a very reasonable thing to do," he said.
And, he added, be sure to check in on mom after the baby is born to make sure they're not experiencing postpartum depression.
"People are a little down and they wonder why that is because this wonderful thing has just happened, but it's fairly normal," he said. "And, they even have maybe some doubts about whether they can take care of this new baby."
Feelings that need to be paid attention to. Because Dr. Magen said sometimes that depression can become psychosis.
"They may have delusions that they're sick or their children are sick, that something awful is going to happen to their children and that's when you sometimes see these cases where people have actually killed children," he explained.
Actions that Dr. Magen said are preventable, if the mom gets the proper treatment and attention.
Michigan's Safe Haven Law allows parents to leave a baby with any staff member at a hospital, fire station, police station or other emergency service provider. It only applies if the child is three-days-old or younger.
