The British Medical Journal has reported a connection between the use of antidepressants by pregnant women and an increased risk for a common heart defect in babies. The antidepressants are in the class of drugs known as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Paxil is an SSRI. The article is entitled: “Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in pregnancy and congenital malformations: population based cohort study”
Another esteemed journal, The Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, reported in October 2009 that babies born to mothers who used SSRIs were more likely to have Apgar low scores. Doctors and nurses score newborns in the first five minutes of life on the Apgar scale. It is babies an overall measure of newborn health. The article is abstracted at http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/163/10/949