There are many ways to deal and manage with a chronic medical condition together with being pregnant. It may seem like a careful balancing act for you with all the special diets, the exercise, your medical monitoring and all your medications. You have a lot going on in your life, and to add pregnancy on top of it all, it can become complicated. There is no need for your pregnancy and your medical condition to get the better of you. There are many ways of dealing with these combined conditions.

Let’s take depression for instance. First of all you need to know that you are not alone. Statistics have shown that there are at least one in ten women of childbearing age suffer from bouts of depression.

Let’s have a look at depression first, it is a mood disorder. Pregnancy is supposed to be one of the happiest times of your life, but with depression it can be confusing, fearful, sad, and stressful. But this does not need to be; depression is treatable and manageable during pregnancy.

With the right treatment, you can have a perfect pregnancy even with depression. But the biggest question is whether to have treatment, and if that is the option, which kind of treatment should you use. Talk to your psychiatrist, the two of you need to weigh up the risks and benefits involved in taking medication while you are pregnant. If your depression is untreated, it may lead to harmful destructive behavior such as smoking, alcohol use, drug use, poor prenatal care and even the risk of attempted suicide. All these are extremely harmful to your baby. When you combine these harmful factors with excessive anxiety and stress you can expect an increase in pre-term birth, low birth weight and lower APGAR scores. It also can be harmful to long-term impaired attachment and language and cognitive deficits.

This may feel to you like just doom and gloom, but the bottom line is that you do not need to stop with your medication. The chances of a relapse are about 68 percent if you discontinue your medication during the first trimester compared to only 28 percent for those who maintain medication.

In close consultation with your healthcare practitioner and psychiatrist you can find the most suitable medications for you during your pregnancy. You can also supplement your medication with regular exercise, this releases feel good hormones. You can also meditate; go for messages and acupuncture to manage your stress levels. And then combining all this with a healthy diet, keeping your blood sugar levels stable, and to boost your mood, it all can alleviate depression.

When you treat your depression, and keep it under control during your pregnancy, it can help you nurture yourself and soon bond with your developing baby. All developing babies do better when you are healthy and feeling good.

Every single day holds the promise of a miracle.