Maternal depression and anxiety is a global societal concern that has also been found to impact a woman’s children. It can affect learning capacity and emotional wellbeing, and researchers now understand that treating depression starts with baby still in the womb.
Professor Jeannette Milgrom, is Executive Director of the internationally recognised Parent Infant Research Institute (PIRI), which is part of Austin Life Sciences based at Austin Health and affiliated with the University of Melbourne.
She recently published the first ever paper that shows treatment of depression and anxiety during pregnancy rather than waiting until after the birth produces better early infant outcomes.
“It’s really good news because antenatal depression (depression that occurs before birth) has been neglected compared with postnatal depression. This is despite the substantial evidence that the effects on the developing foetus can be associated with longer-term childhood behavioural disorders such as attention deficit disorders,” Professor Milgrom says.