Annette Briley and her team from Tommy's Baby Charity looked at a total of 1,000 women and how they felt during their pregnancy.
The results revealed that three out of five women were amazed at how emotional they were during pregnancy. Two thirds expressed their exhaustion, which was more than they expected. And more than 50% needed more support and encouragement than they predicted.
Estimates in Britain now show that one out of every ten women have a depressive episode during pregnancy. Some of the symptoms include low self-esteem, agitation, and dim hopes about the future.
A British Medical Journal study showed that in 9,000 pregnant women, 12 percent were depressed after 18 weeks and that figure was up to 13.5 percent by the 32nd week.
The University of Bristol study found the rate of depression declined to just 9.1 percent eight weeks after childbirth.
Briley who works as a midwife at the St. Thomas' Hospital was quoted by the Indo-Asian News Service as saying, "The transition from adulthood to parenthood is a massive life change and people put pressure on themselves to be perfect...Previous generations thought 'to be good enough was okay'. Now people think they have to be the best."
She added that support groups or counseling can greatly improve the bouts with depression and that pregnant mothers should seek medical help.
