Should a woman on meds for clinical depression have a baby?

God, no. I can’t tell you anything specific about anti depression meds but the general idea of what those meds are trying to do to her body plus the craziness of carrying a child is not something that is meant to be combined in nature. Those meds are bad news to begin with.

Considering all of the lawsuits against Zoloft, et.al. for birth defects??? No.

I would say no. Plus the depression should be dealt with before a child is brought into this world.

No, but mostly because of the part-time job. No money = stress. Stress isn’t good for her or the baby, and a baby should only be brought into the world when it can be financially supported, at the very least.

As for the depression, is she dependent on her meds? Does she have a history of being suicidal? Has she ever hurt herself? Is the depression under control?

“Clinical depression” isn’t necessarily a deal breaker to becoming a parent. It all depends on her mental state on and off drugs. Is she can’t go off the meds safely, then no baby should be had, for reasons above.

No, and even if she were not on meds just the depression should be dealt with first. She could be using having a child to make her happy again. And I do think in many cases a baby will do the trick but just for a short time.

Since there are no doctors, I assume, on this thread, nobody’s advice is worth a nickel. The girl in question should see her doctor. That is the correct answer.

Against popular opinion, i think if she’s thought it out well, there’s no problem.

Some people never drop their psych meds and SSRIs aren’t all dangerous throughout pregnancy.

Only she would know if it was something she could swing financially, or maybe she simply doesn’t have A lot of time to have kids.

Do you mean should she while taking the drugs, meaning fear of birth defects? Or, are you worried she can’t handle motherhood? As far as the drugs she would need to know the teratogenic effects, although personally I would rather not take any meds if possible while pregnant.

As far as handeling motherhood, I think it really matters on the specific sitiation. I was told by a few people I should not have a baby when I was anxious and mildly depressed (it felt like mourning more than anything) dealing with a chronic illness and honestly I think it was terrible advice and I have tons of regret. Some of my sadness was having had two pregnancies that failed, but I was not devastated by the pregnancy losses. However, being in chronic pain already took something from the life I wanted and not having a child was “taking” another thing. Maybe if I had pursued having a baby more aggressively when I was young I would have kids now. I would never make a blanket statement that someone who his depressed or any other diagnosis should not have a baby. Maybe a baby will help pull them out? Or, it might be a terrible idea. I would want to know why she wants the baby and how she thinks about her depression, also how functional she is.

I agree with @tinyfaery .
Any diagnosed depression is “clinical” and the spectrum is very broad. Her doctor(s) are the best consultants for her particulars.

Aside from the mental issues, she needs counsel on the financial obligations of raising a child. A part-time income won’t cut it and a baby severely limits her ability to earn income.

At the risk of sounding elitist or heartless, we really don’t need more children and mothers “in the system”. A child is not a hobby or a toy to be passed off.

Depression is not a deal-breaker to motherhood. Whether she should have a child or not depends on what drug she’s taking (is it safe during pregnancy?), how stable she is without it if she has to go off it, if they can afford to do it, and all sorts of other factors. We really can’t make a call based on the info we have here.

People do not generally need to stay on anti-depressant medications forever. When she is symptom-free, in colaboration with her doctor, she can gradually get off the medications. When she is able to stay free of depression over an extended period, then she is likely to be able to cope with the emotional roller-coaster of pregnancy and having a new baby who will make unreasonable demands of her at all hours.

Even aside from any risks associated with birth defects, I believe it is important for a prospective mother to be emotionally steady enough to endure all the challenges associated with having a baby.

She was hospitalized a couple of months ago for having suicidal thoughts. It doesn’t sound to me like she is emotionally stable enough to have a baby.

@YARNLADY Does she have a full time job? Is she self supporting?

Why because of the risks or birth defects? Or concerns about her depression?

I see a lot of answers saying the depression should be “dealt with” prior to having a baby….for many people depression is a chronic disease and it doesn’t just get dealt away. In fact, being on the meds is probably how it’s being “dealt with”... so I don’t get that. Are you saying somebody with depression should never have kids?

The risks for birth defects are real and are a factor that need to be considered. Not a deal breaker for me.

@JLeslie She and her boyfriend live in our house. They supply their own food, using SNAP, and contribute $250 a month toward expenses. She receives a few dollars a month for her art work and uses it for personal expenses not covered by SNAP. She receives her medical care at a free clinic and gets assistance to pay for her meds.

They have a dog and a cat, and the boyfriend does most of the work associated with taking care of the pets.

My mother has serious mental health problems and being her child was very, very hard. I love my mum but at a very young age I was the responsible one, I had to support her and accept the fact that her illness meant that my childhood was cut short. For that reason I have to say no.

@YARNLADY It definitely sounds less tha. Ideal. Is she young? Can she easily wait a little while until she is more financially and mentally stable? Or, maybe she has no ambition to be more fnancially stable? I find this sort of thing so hard because it is hard for me to tell someone they should not have a child. I hope she is trying to think about it logically and responsibly, but if it isn’t in her to do better with or without children the situation will stay the same and it probably doesn’t matter if she has the baby now or later. However, she is living with you, so you cretainly can say you are not ok with a baby in the house.

@YARNLADY Wow, that situation screams “Please don’t have a child at this point!” in general. Why do they even want one? How do they think that would be at all sustainable?!!?!

@deni They both want to be a “normal” family, with a job, an apartment and children. They think having a child is the easiest part of that.

Thank goodness, they both realize it isn’t a good idea, but accidents can happen.