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Day 120 of 280 · 17 weeks + 1 day

One in five

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 5 sources · Plain-text version

Seventeen weeks and one day. About 1 in 5 women feel stressed or anxious in pregnancy. Today you write down who you'd call, and the numbers.

Size this week
about the size of a pomegranate
Length this week
around 12 cm from head to bottom
A woman with a small bump sitting on the floor with her back against a bed, phone face-down beside her, writing names in a small notebook, late afternoon light through blinds.

Seventeen weeks and one day. Today's note is about your head, not your belly, and it ends with a short list of names.

Your baby

A whole red pomegranate on a plain pale wooden board, soft window light.

Around 12cm from head to bottom, about the size of a pomegranate (NHS). Fingernails are starting to grow, and your baby reacts to loud noises now (NHS).

Your body

About 1 in 5 women feel stressed or anxious during pregnancy (NHS). The AAP's page on depression and anxiety in pregnancy says anxiety "is as common as depression," that these feelings "are not something you caused by doing or not doing something," and that both can be treated if you seek help (AAP). It also says the opposite of what worry tells you: they are long lasting and won't go away on their own (AAP).

The risk factors are ordinary things: a history of depression or anxiety in you or your family, a difficult pregnancy, relationship or financial problems, little support, an unplanned pregnancy (AAP). The CDC gives the scale: about 1 in 10 women of reproductive age in the US reported symptoms suggesting a recent major depressive episode (CDC).

Try today

  1. The support names

    Time: 10 minutes

    1. Write three people you'd actually call on a bad day: not the most impressive names, the ones who pick up.

    2. Write one professional: your midwife or doctor, who the CDC says to see as soon as possible if you think you have depression (CDC).

    3. Under them, write the two hotlines: call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and call or text 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262), the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline (CDC).

    4. Photograph the page and send it to your partner, so you both hold the same list.

    Make it work:

    Little or no social support is itself a risk factor (CDC), which is the whole point of the list. Three names, written down, is support.

Watch for

  • Normal

    stress and worry that come and go; about 1 in 5 women feel this way in pregnancy (NHS).

    Call your provider

    if the feelings last and don't lift, because depression and anxiety won't go away on their own and can be treated (AAP).

  • Normal

    a hard day.

    Call your provider

    for scary, upsetting thoughts that don't go away, extreme sadness or anger, guilt about failing as a parent, or losing interest in things you enjoy; the AAP's advice is to get help early (AAP).

  • Normal

    reading a list like this and feeling fine.

    Call 911

    , or call or text 988 or 1-833-TLC-MAMA, for thoughts about harming yourself or your baby (CDC), and don't leave another person alone if they're in crisis (CDC).

For you

"Early treatment is important for you, your baby, and the rest of your family," the AAP says, and "the sooner you start, the more quickly you will start to feel better" (AAP). Treatment can be counseling; the AAP also says several medications treat depression and anxiety effectively and are safe in pregnancy (AAP). Which, if any, is a conversation with your provider.

For the everyday kind of stress, MedlinePlus's list is ordinary on purpose: talk with a partner or friend, keep your prenatal care, eat well, stay active, sleep enough, and raise stress that persists with your provider (MedlinePlus).

If you're the partner: your name goes on her list, and you need one of your own. A partner's fear doesn't show up in these pages, but it shows up in kitchens. Say it to someone.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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