Myths:

“Getting and staying pregnant is easy”

• Infertility (1 in 5 women of reproductive age) and pregnancy loss (1 out of 4 pregnancies) are both very common

“There’s only one right way to give birth”

• Birthing doesn’t always go as planned and can create situations we don’t have control over

“Being a parent is instinctual”

• There’s no “right” way to parent and you will learn along the way

“Good parents don’t have time to take care of themselves or take breaks” or “I don’t need help I got this”

• Taking care of yourself IS taking care of others - you can’t pour from an empty cup and there’s meaning to the saying it takes a village

“Breastfeeding will be easy and natural”

• Many struggle with breastfeeding, there’s a reason we have a whole specialty dedicated to breastfeeding - thank you lactation consultants

“It’s unsafe to be on medication while pregnant'“ or “strong people don’t need medication”

• Nothing goes without risk, but of the available data majority of psych medications in pregnancy have low absolute risk and there are risks of leaving mental health conditions untreated - consult your PMH-C provider

Facts:

• 1 out of 4 pregnancies are lost, 80% of which are in the first trimester, and 2/3 of miscarriages have no symptoms

• 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men experience a PMAD

• Postpartum depression is the most common, yet most under diagnosed OB complication and 50% of women with postpartum depression don’t get treatment 

• 1 in 7 women of reproductive age take a SSRI and symptom relapse is 5x higher in those who stop their SSRI due to pregnancy

• Women with bipolar l who stop their mood stabilizer during pregnancy have 2x the risk of recurrence of symptoms and 4x more rapidly than woman who stay on medication

• About 90% of pregnant women are taking a prescribed or over the counter medication

• Sleep is ESSENTIAL to protect against developing a PMAD 

• Obsessive thoughts of harm towards the baby are very common, you are not alone