Pre-birth blues: Depression has no due date for some women

By Alison Bowen

Chicago Tribune (TNS)

Kate Moser waited until the night before her due date to set up the nursery.

Dark emotions had persisted throughout her pregnancy, despite the 32-year-old’s efforts to be positive. Thus, the eve of her 2014 due date found Moser and her husband piecing together the crib.

Moser did not have a glowing pregnancy. After two wrenching miscarriages, the Chicago teacher felt fraught with anxiety and fear she tried to suppress. Strangers commenting on her growing belly left her wilted or incensed. Driving to a doctor’s appointment seemed impossible.

“I felt like I was walking a plank every time,” she said.

Moser is one of many women who suffer depression and anxiety while pregnant. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists estimates 1 in 7 women experience depression during pregnancy or within 12 months of delivery.

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