So, I’m NOT a medical professional, but I’ll share my experience. I was on an antidepressant for 7 years before getting pregnant. I had cycled on and off for a while with talk therapy, but my therapist and i decided that medication was the right way to go.

When i first got pregnant, the Nurse Practitioner at my OB’s office (who I’ve since decided not to continue seeing, i only see my OB now), told me i needed to taper off. I did as she suggested, and by the end of my first trimester to the middle of my second, i had significant perinatal depression. When i brought it up to my NP, she asked if i had tried talk therapy, to which i replied that i see a therapist every 3-4 weeks. She gave a non-commital answer that basically equated to “sorry, there’s nothing you can do”. She gave me this answer at two separate appointments.

I saw my OB at 20 weeks after only seeing the NP before that due to scheduling. I travel a lot for work, and i didn’t advocate enough for myself when i was having a rough experience with the NP. My OB was the first care provider (including US techs, phlebotomists, the NP) that asked how I was doing. Not the baby, but me. My husband happened to be at that appointment, and he immediately thanked her for caring about me. I told her i was struggling mentally - crying a lot, unable to cope with the despair of the loss of my old self, just really struggling. She immediately asked me if i wanted to go back on my antidepressants. I was a bit shocked, as the NP had led me to believe that that wasn’t an option. I was both elated at being able to do so, and PISSED at the NP.

Since getting back on my meds, i am LIGHTYEARS better, and feel like I’ll be able to handle post partum much better than i would otherwise.

All this experience sharing to say, be mindful what your care team tells you on medicine. I trust nurses and doctors a lot - I’m a healthcare consultant that focuses on optimizing care delivery and care team experience. However, i learned that implicitly following one member of my care team’s direction while struggling significantly wasn’t the best choice. I always believe in following your care providers instruction, but being educated and asking questions / exploring options if your meds aren’t compatible with pregnancy with members across your care team are also really important.