The prenatal and postpartum period is one of the most incredible, and yet most difficult, times a woman and her family can go through. Women and their partners are often expected to feel “over the moon” while pregnant or after the baby is born, while the reality is that adjusting to a new family member is very challenging. Significant hormonal shifts, societal pressure around parenting and body image, sleep deprivation, changes in a couple’s relationship, a possible traumatic birth experience, and many other factors can make new parents feel decidedly less than over the moon. During pregnancy and in the year following the birth, 15-20% of women may experience a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder, such as postpartum depression or anxiety, OCD, or in rare cases, psychosis. Even when many factors are going well in the pregnancy or postpartum period, this is also just a time of inherent change. A person’s identity evolves during the process, and that can create a lot of uncertainty and distress. Mothers are managing changing relationships, including building a new one with their child and navigating other relationships through the lens of their new identity as a mother.
Therapy can help. I offer a warm space to talk through the challenges of parenthood, concrete mindfulness strategies shown to help with postpartum depression and anxiety, and parenting support to help you bond with your baby if you are struggling to feel connected. EMDR therapy can be immensely healing when any postpartum struggles are linked to past events, which is often true.
“We don’t have to do all of it alone. We were never meant to.”