When a woman suddenly finds herself pregnant, she has three options: give birth, have the child and give the baby up for adoption or have an abortion. Everyone knows that these are the three “choices.”
As a person who is pro-choice, I don’t care which option the woman chooses. It’s entirely up to her. I have no preference. But, of course, there is a small biased, for obvious reasons, towards giving birth to a beautiful baby. That’s totally fine and I wish that every baby was healthy and wanted and has a wonderful life.
But we must be clear that childbirth comes with its down sides as well. And this is the point being made by the American Academy of Pediatrics which has just issued a report saying that pediatricians should “routinely” screen new mothers for depression. They add that depression isn’t just bad for mothers, but it could also harm their babies.
The Academy says that every year more than 400,000 babies are born to depressed women. Estimates say that 5% to 25% of women develop postpartum depression and they
recommend that severely depressed women be referred to experts for treatment. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended similar screening earlier this year.
No “choice” is perfect.
Every “choice” is different and unique.
Every woman should do the research and make the right decision for herself.
I have been through it and this is not something the doctors talk about on your visits.
Would you care to share a little more, Melissa? exactly how did your depression manifest itself?