Therapy for Pregnancy and Postpartum Anxiety and Depression
It doesn’t have to feel this hard forever.
You wanted to be a mother, but this isn’t what you expected
This is supposed to be a blissfully joyful time. You’ve read the books and get weekly emails updating you on what is happening with the baby growing inside you. Everyone you come in contact with tells you how great you look, how exciting this is, and slips in a few bits of advice about nursing, swaddles, sleep, and motor milestones. And then baby arrives and your friends and family can’t wait to come meet them.
But you’re not feeling glowy and blissful. Your mind is racing with terrible thoughts and what ifs. You feel angry and on edge. You burst into tears for what seems like no reason. You wonder if this is all a mistake. Are you even meant to be a mom? You’re sure not enjoying it like everyone else seems to. Shouldn’t you feel more attached to your baby? Sometimes you even resent them for how they’ve changed your life. You need someone to talk to, but how could you possibly admit these things to anyone?
This isn’t you. These are symptoms.
These are all feelings women with perinatal or postpartum mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) experience.
They can begin during pregnancy or start up to a year after delivery. It is currently estimated that 15-20% of moms will experience some type of PMAD, though that estimate is likely low due to women being reluctant to come forward with their struggles.
Many different things can put you at an increased risk of developing a PMAD, but no one is immune to the risk, and there is absolutely nothing you did to cause this.
You are not a bad person. You are not a bad mom. You just need help to deal with this major life change.
Therapy can help you out of the dark thoughts, learn to care for yourself during such a physically and emotionally demanding time, and start to enjoy your new life as a mom. We will work to get back in touch with your body and the clues it sends you. Learn new ways to manage the daily overwhelm. Discuss techniques to strengthen your relationships and support system and then practice asking for (and receiving!) help in new ways.
And I will be with you the whole way. Walking right next to you, open to all of your thoughts and feelings, no matter how scary they may seem right now.
With a safe space to speak the unspeakable, you can heal. Motherhood can be joyful.
imagine if you…
Understood why this transition to motherhood feels the way it does
We do a relatively decent job supporting moms with the physical changes of pregnancy. But we don’t talk at all about the emotional transition to motherhood and all of the aspects of your life that will undergo monumental shifts. It’s easy to feel like something is wrong with you when you’re going through this shift totally in the dark. You don’t have to be alone in it anymore.
Could stop blaming yourself for what you’re going through
Do you feel like something is wrong with you? Like you’re broken? Have you found yourself wondering if maybe you weren’t supposed to be a mom? These are all things many moms I work with experience. And here’s the truth: NONE of what you are experiencing right now is your fault. In therapy we will help unravel how you got here and relieve the “it’s my fault” burden that so many struggling new moms carry.
Felt connected to yourself, your baby, and motherhood
Once we can clear out the shame and blame you’re feeling, there is suddenly space for you to begin the process of truly adapting to motherhood and forming the connections (to your baby AND your new self) that will bring you peace and a sense of belonging.
Ready to get started?