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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Yes, for assessment, screening, talking therapy referrals, reviews of established antidepressants and, where it is the right individual choice, starting a pregnancy-compatible antidepressant; moderate to severe depression, thoughts of harming yourself or the baby, and sudden confusion after birth go to perinatal or crisis services.
- What it is: a depressive illness during pregnancy or the first year after birth: about 1 in 8 women in pregnancy and 1 in 10 after it, often starting before birth and continuing; the baby blues, which touch most new mothers, settle within 2 weeks.
- Medicines: sertraline has the longest reassuring record in pregnancy and breastfeeding, and several others are used; stopping an antidepressant abruptly on a positive test risks relapse and withdrawal, so the decision to continue, switch or taper is made with a doctor who weighs both.
- Therapy first: for mild to moderate depression, cognitive behavioural therapy, interpersonal therapy and guided self-help are first-line and as effective in pregnancy as outside it; for moderate to severe depression, medication alongside therapy through perinatal mental health services is usual.
- Not taken away: telling a doctor or midwife you are depressed leads to support, not to your baby being removed; perinatal teams exist to keep mothers and babies together and well, and the fear of disclosure is one of the main reasons depression in pregnancy goes untreated.
- Emergency: call 112 if you have taken an overdose or injured yourself, or if a new mother is suddenly confused, elated, severely agitated or hearing voices, which can be postpartum psychosis; for thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, contact your national crisis helpline now.
If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, or someone close to you has become suddenly confused, elated or is hearing voices in the days after birth, that needs crisis help now: call 112 in an emergency or use your national crisis helpline. For everything else, including “I am not sure this is bad enough to bother anyone with”, an online consultation is a private, unhurried place to start. It is bad enough exactly when it is troubling you.
Is it normal to feel depressed during pregnancy?
Feeling low at moments of pregnancy is common; depression is more than that. Worldwide, around 1 in 10 women experience a mental health condition during pregnancy, most often depression, and slightly more do in the year after birth.[3] Low mood, lost interest or hopelessness lasting more than two weeks deserves assessment, because it responds to treatment.[4]
How an online consultation helps with depression in pregnancy
- A doctor who listens first: a full, private conversation from your own sofa, without a waiting room, without your name being called out, and without needing to hold it together in public afterwards.
- Proper screening, not vibes: the doctor uses the same structured questions about mood, interest, anxiety and safety that good antenatal care uses, so the answer you leave with is a real assessment, not a guess.[1]
- The right pathway, named: talking therapies for many, specialist perinatal mental-health services where they are needed, and an honest explanation of how to reach each in your country.
- Medication honesty: individualised advice on antidepressants in pregnancy, what the evidence does and does not say, and one rule repeated until it sticks: never stop abruptly.
What the doctor checks in an online depression consultation during pregnancy
The assessment is a conversation with a structure underneath it. The doctor will typically go through:
- The two core questions: over the last month, have you often been bothered by feeling down, depressed or hopeless, and by having little interest or pleasure in doing things? These two questions are the recognised starting point in pregnancy and after birth.[1]
- How long and how heavy: whether this is days that come and go or weeks that do not lift, and how much of daily life it is taking.
- Sleep, appetite and energy: disentangled carefully from pregnancy itself, which disturbs all three; the pages on insomnia in pregnancy and tiredness in pregnancy cover the overlap.
- Anxiety alongside: constant worry, panic, and intrusive thoughts, including the distressing unwanted thoughts about the baby that anxious new parents often hide. Having intrusive thoughts you hate is common and is not the same as intending harm; saying them out loud to a doctor is safe.
- Safety, asked plainly and kindly: thoughts of self-harm or of not wanting to be here. Being asked is routine; answering honestly is what lets help arrive.
- Your history: previous depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or psychosis, because a history of bipolar disorder or severe mental illness changes the plan and means specialist involvement in pregnancy, ideally before problems start.[1]
- Medicines and circumstances: anything you take now or stopped when the test turned positive, and the real-world load: support at home, money, relationship strain, previous losses.
Antenatal depression, baby blues, postnatal depression: what is the difference?
Antenatal depression is depression during pregnancy. It is at least as common as postnatal depression and more often missed, because exhaustion, poor sleep and tearfulness get filed under “just pregnancy”, by everyone including the woman herself.[2] If your low mood is persistent, most days, for more than two weeks, it deserves assessment now, not after the birth.
The baby blues
In the first week after birth, most new mothers hit a patch of tearfulness, irritability and feeling overwhelmed, typically peaking around days 3–5 and settling within about two weeks as hormones crash-land back to earth.[2] The blues need kindness, sleep and food, not treatment. What they must not be used for is explaining away something that persists or deepens.
Postnatal depression
Depression can begin at any point in the first year after birth.[5] It looks like the blues that never left: flatness, guilt, feeling like a bad mother, not bonding the way you expected, dread of the days, sometimes anxiety that never switches off. It is common, it is nobody’s fault, and the earlier it is named, the shorter it tends to be. Partners can develop depression in this year too, and it counts just as much.
Postpartum psychosis: rare, serious, treatable
A different condition deserves its own paragraph because recognising it saves lives. Postpartum psychosis affects roughly 1–2 in every 1,000 births, usually in the first days or weeks after delivery, often out of nowhere: sudden confusion, racing or elated moods, hardly needing sleep, hallucinations, or beliefs that do not fit reality.[2] It is a medical emergency in the same category as bleeding: same-day emergency care, call 112 if safety is in doubt. It is also very treatable, and women recover.
Can you take antidepressants while pregnant?
Sometimes, and the decision is individual. No antidepressant is stamped “approved for pregnancy”, but some, particularly certain SSRIs, have substantial accumulated safety data, and untreated depression carries real risks of its own for mother and baby. The honest framing is a balance of risks weighed drug by drug and person by person, ideally with perinatal specialist input.[1] What is never right is stopping abruptly because of a positive pregnancy test: sudden stops risk withdrawal effects and relapse at exactly the wrong moment.[1] If you are on an antidepressant and newly pregnant, book a prompt review, keep taking your medicine meanwhile, and let a doctor plan any change gradually. Some medicines are continued, some switched, some tapered; talking therapy is the first-line treatment for mild to moderate depression in pregnancy either way.[1] Controlled medicines such as benzodiazepines are not prescribed online.
What helps with depression in pregnancy besides medication?
Talking therapy is the core treatment, not the consolation prize: structured approaches such as CBT have good evidence in pregnancy and after birth, and many European systems prioritise pregnant women on waiting lists, which a doctor’s referral unlocks.[1] Around therapy, the useful supports are simple: protected sleep wherever it can be scavenged, daylight and movement most days, eating regularly even when appetite is flat, and telling your midwife, so the whole team around your pregnancy is supporting you rather than working from a fiction. Peer support, whether a perinatal group or one honest friend, works on the loneliness that depression feeds on. And one fear is worth dismantling directly: telling professionals you are depressed does not get your baby taken away. It gets you supported; honesty is read as strength and good parenting, and it is how help is organised, everywhere in Europe.
If you are reading this for your partner, you already matter to the outcome: gentle noticing (“you have not seemed yourself”), taking over logistics, and offering to sit beside them through a consultation all help more than advice does. The page on mood swings in pregnancy explains what is hormonal and what is more, and the main depression page covers treatment in greater depth.
Low mood in pregnancy and after birth: which support, how fast
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Presentation | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When referral or in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up-and-down days; still yourself in between; first two weeks after birth | Support, rest, watchful waiting | Yes, for reassurance and safety-netting | If low mood persists beyond two weeks or deepens |
| Low mood or lost interest most days for more than two weeks | Structured assessment; talking-therapy referral | Yes, for assessment and routing | Moderate to severe symptoms go to perinatal mental-health services[1] |
| On an antidepressant and newly pregnant | Prompt medication review; do not stop abruptly | Yes, for review and specialist referral | Decisions confirmed with perinatal specialist input[1] |
| History of bipolar disorder or severe mental illness, pregnant or planning | Early specialist perinatal review and a written care plan | Routing only | Throughout pregnancy and after birth, planned in advance[1] |
| Thoughts of self-harm; or sudden confusion, elation or hallucinations after birth | Crisis or emergency care today | No | Now: 112 in an emergency, or your national crisis helpline |
Not sure which row is you? A doctor can tell you in one consultation.
See available times →Treatment options for depression in pregnancy and after birth
What you can do yourself
Start by lowering the bar: depression in pregnancy is not solved by trying harder. Tell one person the truth about how you feel. Protect any sleep you can, eat something regular even without appetite, get outside in daylight most days, and let standards elsewhere drop without a tribunal. Write down what you want to say before a consultation if talking feels impossible; reading it out counts. Self-care supports treatment; at moderate severity and beyond, it is not a substitute for it.
Professional treatment
Talking therapies come first for mild to moderate depression in pregnancy and after birth, and doctors can refer you into them. Antidepressants have a real place, chosen individually as described above, started or continued with specialist input and reviewed regularly, never stopped abruptly.[1] For moderate to severe depression, for bipolar disorder, and for any question involving medication in pregnancy or breastfeeding, specialist perinatal mental-health services are the right pathway: teams who treat depression in pregnancy and after birth every day. Part of the consultation is mapping the fastest route to the service near you.
What an online doctor can do for depression, and when you need in-person care
Online help: first assessments, in your own time and words; structured screening for depression and anxiety in pregnancy and after birth; referrals into talking therapy; planned reviews of antidepressants for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, with specialist input arranged where needed; and consultations for partners who are struggling, or who are worried about someone they love.
In-person care: thoughts of self-harm with any plan or means, to crisis services or 112 today, including mid-consultation, with the doctor staying on the call while you connect; possible postpartum psychosis, to emergency care immediately; a history of bipolar disorder or psychosis, to early specialist perinatal review; moderate to severe depression, to perinatal mental-health services with a proper referral letter; and any situation where a video consultation would be a slower path to the care you need, because the honest job here is routing, not gatekeeping. Depression sits alongside the other pregnancy conditions the doctors assess online.
When to get urgent help
Get urgent same-day help if you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, if you have seriously harmed yourself, if you cannot keep yourself safe, or if someone who has recently given birth becomes suddenly confused, elated, stops needing sleep, or is seeing or hearing things others do not. If you have taken an overdose or injured yourself, call 112 now.
If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, call 112 in an emergency. You can also find your national crisis helpline at findahelpline.com. You do not have to wait for an appointment.
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: open daily 7am–11pm CET. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, exact price up front.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about depression in pregnancy and after birth: a private video call from anywhere in Europe, in your own space and at your own pace, no waiting room.
- Get your plan: talking-therapy referral, specialist routing or a medication review, always agreed with you and never imposed, or a full refund.
No sign-up needed
Not sure it’s depression? Tick every symptom you have to see each page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Not sure this is the right page? Look up any symptom in the full symptom checker, or book and describe it to a doctor.
Frequently asked questions about depression in pregnancy and after birth
What causes depression in pregnancy and after birth?
A combination rather than a single cause: the hormonal shifts of pregnancy and the sudden fall after birth, exhaustion and broken sleep, a previous episode of depression or anxiety, stopping medication, a difficult pregnancy, birth or feeding experience, lack of support, relationship or money strain, isolation, past trauma, and a family history. Depression in pregnancy is not caused by weakness or ingratitude, and it affects women who wanted their baby very much.
What are the symptoms of antenatal and postnatal depression?
Low mood, tearfulness or numbness most of the day, most days, for two weeks or more; loss of interest or pleasure, including in the baby; hopelessness, guilt and feeling a failure; poor sleep beyond what pregnancy or a newborn explains; appetite change; poor concentration; withdrawing from people; frightening or intrusive thoughts; and sometimes thoughts of harming yourself. Depression hides behind tiredness and irritability, which is why maternity care screens for it.
Can an online doctor prescribe antidepressants during pregnancy?
Sometimes, after a full consultation, and always individually: the decision weighs the specific medicine, your history and the risks of untreated depression, which are real for both of you. Sertraline and several other antidepressants have long records in pregnancy and breastfeeding, and the prescription is usable at a pharmacy near you; a prescription is never issued without a consultation, and moderate to severe depression is managed with perinatal mental health services.
How do I know if it is baby blues or postnatal depression?
You tell them apart by the clock and the depth. The baby blues arrive in the first week, peak around days three to five as hormones fall, bring tearfulness, irritability and feeling overwhelmed, and settle within two weeks with sleep and support. Postnatal depression lasts beyond two weeks, deepens rather than lifts, brings hopelessness, loss of pleasure and difficulty bonding, and can start any time in the first year; it needs treatment rather than time.
Will anyone take my baby away if I say I am depressed?
No, no one will take your baby away for saying you are depressed. This fear keeps many women silent, so it deserves a plain answer: disclosure leads to support, talking therapy, medication if needed and help at home, through services whose whole purpose is keeping mothers and babies together and well. Child protection involvement follows actual harm or danger to a child, not a mother asking for help with depression.
What is postpartum psychosis?
Postpartum psychosis is a rare emergency affecting roughly 1 to 2 in 1,000 new mothers, usually in the first days or weeks after birth: sudden confusion, severe agitation or elation, racing thoughts, not sleeping for nights, hearing voices or holding beliefs others do not share, and rapid mood swings. It is different from depression, needs urgent specialist care, usually in a mother-and-baby unit, and recovers fully with treatment.
How can I help my partner through depression in pregnancy?
Believe her, and stay close. Say what you have noticed gently, without a verdict attached. Take over the logistics she is drowning in, protect her sleep, go with her to appointments, learn the warning signs, including thoughts of self-harm and the signs of psychosis after birth, and keep the home calm rather than fixing her. Depression is treatable, and partners who feel low themselves, about 1 in 10 fathers, deserve help too.
Is it safe to stay on antidepressants while pregnant?
Often yes, and stopping abruptly is frequently the more dangerous move. Several antidepressants, particularly sertraline among the SSRIs, have long reassuring track records in pregnancy and breastfeeding; a few are switched, and all are weighed against the risks of untreated depression, which include poorer self-care, premature birth and a harder postnatal period. The plan, continue, switch or taper with support, is made with a doctor who knows your history.
How long does depression in pregnancy and after birth last?
Untreated, antenatal depression commonly continues into postnatal depression and can last a year or more. With treatment, most women feel clearly better within 6 to 12 weeks of starting talking therapy or an antidepressant, and treatment continues for at least 6 months after recovery, longer if there have been previous episodes, to prevent relapse. The baby blues are different: days, not weeks, settling within two weeks of birth.
What can I do myself for depression in pregnancy?
Tell one person what is happening, book a consultation early, protect sleep where you can by sharing night tasks, eat regularly, walk daily in daylight, keep small routines, lower the bar on housework, accept practical help, limit alcohol and social media, join an antenatal or new-parent group, and keep a note of mood for the doctor. Self-help eases mild depression and supports treatment of the rest; it is not a test to pass alone.
Can antenatal and postnatal depression be prevented?
The risk falls when a previous episode is disclosed at booking and a plan made before birth, when medication is reviewed rather than stopped suddenly, when talking therapy starts at the first signs, when sleep and support are protected in the weeks after birth, and when partners know what to watch for. Women at high risk, including those with bipolar disorder or previous postnatal depression, are offered specialist planning before conception or in pregnancy.
Can fathers and partners get depression in pregnancy or after birth?
Yes. About 1 in 10 fathers experience depression in the year around a birth, with irritability, withdrawal, anger and overwork more than tearfulness, and partners of women with postnatal depression are at higher risk. It is treated the same way, with talking therapy and medication where needed, and it matters for the whole family; a partner can book a consultation in his own right rather than waiting until the mother is well.
Is it depression, pregnancy tiredness or a thyroid problem?
Pregnancy tiredness lifts with rest and leaves interest and enjoyment intact. Depression brings low mood and loss of pleasure most days for two weeks or more, whatever the sleep. An underactive thyroid, common after birth, causes tiredness, weight gain and low mood, and an overactive one anxiety and palpitations; anaemia causes exhaustion. A blood count and thyroid test rule those out, and the screening questions used by video identify depression itself.
- Antenatal and postnatal mental health: clinical management and service guidance (CG192), NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2014 (updated 2020).
- Depression - antenatal and postnatal, NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries, revised 2024.
- Maternal mental health, WHO, World Health Organization, 2024.
- Depressive disorder (depression) fact sheet, WHO, World Health Organization, 2023.
- Postnatal depression, HSE, Health Service Executive (Ireland), accessed August 2026.
- Depression in pregnancy, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed October 2024.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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