I recently ran across an interesting article about positive affirmations during pregnancy. At first, as I was reading and thinking about what I was reading, I thought it was a little on the kooky side but as I continued to think about it, it began to make sense to me.

Think about it – how many times in pregnancy have you said or thought something negative? I think that a lot of women in unplanned pregnancies probably have low self esteem during the pregnancy and negative statements and thoughts... more

If you are pregnant, you may have noticed that you are experiencing some mood swings. One minute, you feel happy and content and then the next minute you are crying, possibly at a sappy commercial or maybe for no real apparent reason at all!

No you are not going crazy! Mood swings are normal during pregnancy because of the hormonal changes that your body is going through in addition to the stress and turmoil you are already feeling as you deal with an unplanned pregnancy and make decisions about both yours and yours baby future. Most women find that... more

Yesterday, I wrote about depression during pregnancy and today I want to talk about depression after pregnancy, which is most commonly known as post partum depression.

About ten to fifteen percent of women who give birth experience postpartum depression. Postpartum depression can happen anytime in the first year after giving birth. After pregnancy, hormonal changes in a women’s body can bring on the post partum depression. Post partum depression needs to be... more

At least one in ten women suffers from depression during their pregnancy. I would think (although I am no expert) that the added stress of dealing with an unplanned pregnancy may put you at a greater risk for depression during pregnancy.

Depression during pregnancy often goes undiagnosed because many women attribute it to the fluctuating pregnancy hormones and since you are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy you may attribute it to the extra stress that it brings. Depression during pregnancy can increase your risk of preterm labor.

Risk... more

My son’s Sunday School newsletter inspired this post. In it, was a 101 ways to praise a child and reading it I thought that we all need praise and positive affirmations. When you are in an unplanned pregnancy, you are typically feeling down and may feel like life is working against you. It’s very easy to emotionally beat yourself up right now and tell yourself that you are dumb, make poor decisions, have made too many mistakes, etc..

But don’t forget you have good qualities too! You care about your baby and want the best for him or her... more

We all know about postpartum depression, but what about depression during pregnancy? In an article entitled "Not Always the Happiest Time," this week's edition of Newsweek magazine (April 24, 2006) addresses the issue of depression among expectant mothers. According to the article, doctors say that the incidence of depression is the same among pregnant women as it is in the general population (about 20 percent). However, depression during pregnancy is usually viewed with more disapproval than... more