Over a 30-year career in nursing and maternity care, Dr. Dawn Kingston has seen the impact of an expectant mother’s mental health on her baby.
“Pre-term birth, small babies, and children not going on to do well emotionally, physically and developmentally,” are among the consequences of a mother’s mental health issues, she said in an interview with CTV News Calgary.
Kingston is a professor of nursing at the University of Calgary.
Her new book, Your Brain on Pregnancy, advises women on how to maintain their mental health as they prepare to deliver.
- Watch the full interview in the video player above
“It’s a real misconception that hormones are the sole cause of depression, anxiety, feeling kind of blue during pregnancy and postpartum,” Kingston said.
