An FDA Panel Made Outrageous Claims About This Common Medication. Here’s What They Got Wrong — And Why I’m Taking It Anyway.

“I was reluctant to take medication. But with nothing to lose, I gave it a try, and my quality of life improved immeasurably.”

When my alarm sounds at 6:30, I roll my 32-week pregnant body onto its side and use my arms to push myself up to a sitting position, as the experts recommend, so that I don’t overly strain my core muscles. I plod down the stairs, gripping the rail to lighten my steps so as not to wake my two toddlers. The following 30-45 minutes of alone time are a treasured commodity.

After letting the dog out and feeding him (because even with the kids asleep, I still have another creature’s needs to consider before my own), I settle into my desk chair with my coffee, water and toast. I glance at the calendar ― just two more weeks until my mom flies in town to help with the kids. Changing and lifting my 2.5-year-old and 15-month-old had begun to feel like an Olympic sport with the 40 pounds of extra weight I’d been carrying.

Next to my calendar hangs the ultrasound photos from my most recent scan. I say a silent prayer that my husband will get home from deployment before baby No. 3 makes his debut.

And then, I pop one of my precious pink pills into my mouth ― my SSRI, which has been part of my morning routine for the last nine years, and I brace myself for the long day ahead.

Before heading back upstairs to get the kids, my heart skips a beat when I learn of the Food and Drug Administration’s recent panel on antidepressant use during pregnancy.