Depressed Moms: What You Need To Know

 Depressed Moms: What You Need To Know

Thomas Hale, R.Ph., Ph.D., executive director of the InfantRisk Center

Today we have a guest blog written by Dr. Thomas Hale of InfantRisk. InfantRisk focuses on research concerning breastfeeding and medication to help moms make an informed choice about the risks of breastfeeding while taking medication. They have the most up to date information and are the go to for questions concerning medication safety and breastfeeding! You can help support InfantRisk by donating here: Support InfantRisk

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the U.S. Research shows us that the cause of depression can be a combination of genetic, biological, environmental and psychological factors. Many women sufferers attest that the onset of depression came without any major life event, but the pervasive symptoms are unbearable.

And, of course, many women also experience post partum or perinatal depression. Often overlooked, this is full-blown depression and potentially very serious. Feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety and exhaustion can be confusing and overwhelming for new mothers, making it difficult to care for their little one and complete every day tasks.

Like with most conditions, pregnancy and breastfeeding do not preclude the ability to safely and effectively treat depression in mothers. Balancing risks and benefits, providers and mothers can work together to create a plan to keep both mom and baby healthy.

This plan might include a range of therapies, including bright light therapy, a strategic breastfeeding schedule, counseling and medications. Despite what many believe, many antidepressants have been thoroughly studied in pregnancy and breastfeeding and are believed to be relatively safe. When making a decision about the safety of a medication while pregnant or breastfeeding, for any condition, it’s important to weight the risks associated with that medication against the risk of the condition being untreated.

For example, while the likelihood of a baby being exposed in utero to drugs like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is high and the dosage the baby receives can be relatively high, the risk of birth defects caused by these medications is apparently very low. Infants might also absorb SSRIs residue in breast milk, but some types were more likely to be absorbed in the breast milk than others. Furthermore, studies have shown that even in cases with the well-absorbed SSRIs, breastfeeding babies frequently display no symptoms and there is little to suggest there will be long-term developmental effects. However, more data is certainly needed and as the use of these medications increases, the InfantRisk Center is working to get a clear picture of what the implications are for babies.

Antidepressants are not the only option for treating depression. But for individual mothers, they may be the best or most-realistic choice. Although, there is some risk associated with the use of antidepressants while breastfeeding, the risk of untreated depression is definitely even greater. Lastly, all risks and benefits must be carefully weighed for each mother. But generally, we must bear in mind that a healthy mom makes a healthy baby.

Guest Blog: “Babies, Breast Milk and Marijuana”

Guest Blog: “Babies, Breast Milk and Marijuana”

Thomas Hale, R.Ph., Ph.D., executive director of the InfantRisk Center

Today we have a guest blog written by Dr. Thomas Hale of InfantRisk. InfantRisk focuses on research concerning breastfeeding and medication to help moms make an informed choice about the risks of breastfeeding while taking medication. They have the most up to date information and are the go to for questions concerning medication safety and breastfeeding! You can help support InfantRisk by donating here: Support InfantRisk

Changing legislation, political rhetoric and pop culture have brought marijuana use to the forefront of life in America. While many remain deeply divided about its use, it’s undeniably ubiquitous in our modern society and the debate over its legalization will likely rage on for some time. And for as many as 3 percent of pregnant women in the U.S., it’s effects on babies’ development and transfer in breast milk is a real concern. Despite the widespread use of this product, we simply do not know about the potential neurobehavioral effects of this drug on unborn and newborn breastfeeding babies.

Cannabis is a psychoactive drug that provides feelings of euphoria, mood changes and even hallucinations. Its active ingredient, delta-9-THC, affects the brain noticeably for only a few hours, but its residue can be stored in tissues for 2 to 3 weeks. In pregnant mothers, cannabis use has been linked to risk of motor, social and cognitive disturbances in babies exposed to cannabis prenatally. Another study found an increased incidence of smaller heads in kids age 9 to 12 who were exposed to frequent or heavy marijuana use during gestation. It’s even possible that cannabis exposure in utero actually cause memory problems and is linked to low birth weight leukemia.

Marijuana use was once viewed as relatively safe for breastfeeding mothers, but numerous animal studies now question this concept. Marijuana is secreted in breast milk, but one study found that of 27 women who used cannabis daily during breastfeeding, the babies experienced no difference in growth, mental and motor development than other babies.

However, breast milk accumulates 8 times more cannabis than plasma. This accumulation might be sufficient to alter long-term neurobehavioral functioning.  And, infants exposed to marijuana through breast milk may test positive in urine screens for 2 to 3 weeks. More and more research is becoming available that indicates that early exposure to cannabis may be hazardous  and could cause long-term changes in an infant’s behavior and mental health later on.

For the mother, cannabis might produce changes in hormones and limit prolactin, growth hormone and thyroid stimulating hormones, as well as corticotropin, which prepares the body for birth. Chronic cannabis use may also lead to depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder in some women.

There’s still so much we don’t know about marijuana and its applications in health care.  There are positive studies showing some effect on controlling seizures, some effect on pain management. So, marijuana appears to be a mix of good and bad. As more states will probably legalize the use of marijuana, mothers might come to believe it’s completely safe. However, the research indicates that it could cause significant mental and developmental changes in babies exposed during pregnancy or and maybe breastfeeding. So, mothers should abstain from its use (at least in pregnancy and breastfeeding) until we have the whole story.