A daily dose of fish oil, is able to perk up the mood of mildly depressed pregnant women, making it a safe viable alternative to anti-depressants
You’re feeling a little weepy…………..
There is nothing specifically wrong, but right now, your pregnancy doesn’t feel like the magical experience it’s meant to be.
In fact, you have moments you FEEL like just ending it ALL.
Eish !
This is serious.
Being depressed while you’re pregnant, puts both you and your baby at risk.
Grin and bare it
The despair feels overwhelming, but as a pregnant women your options are limited.
- You could opt to take an anti-depressant
- You could just grin and bare it……..
The trouble with the anti-depressant option, is they are never a quick fix, they ALWAYS take a few weeks to kick in, and they don’t always work.
PLUS
If you take an anti-depressant drug, so does your baby.
The trouble with buying an extra big box of tissues and the grin and bare it approach is..
Depression is more than a feeling
Making a baby is HARD WORK !
Some Mom’s bodies get overwhelmed – this is when things start to go wrong in the pregnancy.
Weepy/suicidal feelings are your body letting you know, it is struggling to keep up with the stresses and strains of making that brand new human being.
Ignoring your body’s cry for help, can interfere with your baby’s development, so you need to step in, and help.
The question is how ?
Bad mood rising
Researchers from the University of Shiraz, set about finding a way to bring relief to “weepy” pregnant women, using an anti-inflammatory nutrient, instead of a pharmaceutical.
To do this, the Shiraz team enlisted the help of 80 mildly depressed, non-fish eating ladies.
All the pregnant women underwent a test, known as the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) test, to establish just how “miserable” they were initially. Next, the team divided the women into two groups, each group received a different “treatment”.
The treatment was either
- 1000 mg of fish oil, every day or
- 1000 mg of olive oil, every day
After 6 weeks, the ladies were invited back to re-take the depression test.
Perking up your mood
The team found, a daily dose of fish oil, helped perk up the Mom-2-be’s moods, shaving off a couple of points on their Beck Depression score. The “happy” effect was not seen in the group of ladies taking olive oil, their depression score remained largely unchanged.
Since fish oil aka omega-3, has been shown to be beneficial for developing babies
- Before birth exposure to fish oil scores game, set and match
- How to build a strong connection in the womb new one
If you’re feeling BLUE, add a fish oil supplement to your daily routine.
NOTE : Just make sure it is an omega-3 only supplement. You don’t need extra omega-6, it’s everywhere.
Further reading
A nation’s diet, trumps it’s economy, when it comes to education
The quality of a nation’s breast milk, impacts how smart the nation is. The more omega-3, the smarter the nation, the more omega-6, the dumber the nation.
The advice to avoid fish during pregnancy is a little fishy
Women eating lots of fish during pregnancy, may pick up more mercury, but their kids are not at a higher risk of behavioural problems
The sunshine vitamin moonlights as a comedian
If you’re feeling blue, stop by the vitamin D comedy club, Vitamin D’s hilarious antics, could help chase away those blues.
If you are an expectant Mom or know someone that is – invite them to participate, so they can create Better Body Chemistry during their pregnancy and raise a HAPPY HEALTHY little one.