Motherhood is bliss. It is associated with one of the most coveted dream of our lives. But the time is also very new for our metabolism. It does not always feel heavy with a fetus for company. The stress and strain suffered during pregnancy gets further aggravated by the increase in levels of estrogen and progesterone. All this cumulatively have an impact of creating mood swings in women. When mood swings become too frequent and huge in proportion, they lead to depression.

It is important to tackle pregnancy right at its early stage. Depression during pregnancy is the easiest to treat as its grounds are neither psychological nor related to any traumatic experience in the past. It is caused by hormonal overflow and subsequent feelings like morning sickness.

As suggested, mood swings and depressive tendencies while pregnancy does not imply onset of a difficult disease. With some love, affection and proper exercising regimen, Depression during pregnancy can be easily tackled.

If it’s the strain that is killing you as a would-be mother, then various pacifying exercises can help. This can include taking stock of the breath and keeping a complete tab on its movement for 10 minutes a day. It can also include reading holy books; those that give immediate peace to the mind. In fact, quite the opposite idea can work as well. It might be a comic strip which brings a sense of cheerfulness in a woman. It might also be large posters of a baby girl or a baby boy which does the trick for a woman.

There is a general belief bordering on myth that depression cannot co-exist with pregnancy. This is fuelled by the fact that pregnancy is a time of extreme happiness. On the contrary, it has been found out that depressive tendencies manifest themselves during pregnancy at a higher rate. No one actually likes pondering over an unhappy pregnancy; hence people usually do not talk about such depression. Think of it in this light. If a woman begins to think of pregnancy as burden, then she would be fatigued by the fact that she has to take the burden for as many as 9 months, this realization can itself bring depressive traits.

It is extremely important to treat any depressive tendency during pregnancy. Such depression can actually stunt the growth of the fetus. Extra release of hormone in a mother travels through placenta into the bloodstream of an embryo. Moreover neurological and psychological deficits travel through a mother to a child in no time. Yes, the effects come on a far later date. It is statistically proven that most mothers who deliver a baby during depression create grounds for a mentally or physically deformed baby.

If a woman wants to keep away from any such tendency she can align to few of these techniques.

• She must enjoy her social life. Cutting away from social life only aggravates the tendency.
• She should look forward to special pregnancy massages. Professional masseurs trained in the subject should only take care of the treatment though.
• She can look forward to yoga and meditation techniques which help with keeping the mind in a cool and composed manner.