SERVICES
Reproductive & Maternal Mental Health
Three Big myths related to child birth and parenting
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01
You and your baby are doing well after a traumatic birth experience, so you must be fine and should just be happy you have a healthy baby
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Fact: It’s okay not to feel okay. You just went through a very scary ordeal and deserve the opportunity to heal from the overwhelming event -
02
It’s been two months since you gave birth. You feel emotionally disconnected, struggle to get to sleep even when baby is sleeping like a champ, & find yourself feeling super irritable. It must just be the baby blues.
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Fact: Baby blues is linked to the natural dip in hormones that occur over the first few weeks postpartum. Feeling this way beyond those few weeks may be due to postpartum depression. -
03
Secure attachment requires solely focusing on the needs of the child.
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Fact: A parent’s well-being (or lack thereof) can have a strong effect on attachment. If you are stressed, depressed, or overwhelmed, you may not be able to provide as much emotional responsiveness for your child. So it is important to make sure your own needs for food, rest, self-care, & support are met.
PREGNANCY & POSTPARTUM
1 in 7 birthing parents suffer from Postpartum Depression, but Postpartum Depression is only one piece to the puzzle. Postpartum Depression has become a "catch-all" term for a variety of mood and anxiety disorders that are experienced during the time surrounding pregnancy and birth. I like to use the term PMAD, which stands for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders. This term covers a variety of mental health concerns during the perinatal period. There are also a variety of reasons unrelated to PMADs that someone can and will seek therapy during the time they are building their family. I see clients for many reasons during this period including:
:: Birth Trauma
:: NICU Trauma
:: Infertility
:: Adoption
:: Voluntary and Involuntary Termination
:: Grief & Loss
:: Preparing for Pregnancy and/or Birth
:: Unplanned Pregnancies
PARENTING & CONNECTION BUILDING
Parenting certainly does not come with a handbook. Many new parents are navigating parenthood feeling overwhelmed or completely shut down because it all feels like too much. It can often feel even more overwhelming if you did not grow up with positive parenting role models to learn from.
It’s Absolutely Okay to Ask for Help
You deserve to build the skills needed to effectively connect with and co-regulate your child. Doing so supports them in building the inner wisdom to self-regulate as the mature through all of their ages and stages. It’s nearly impossible to do so if you are feeling overwhelmed and disconnected from yourself. We can work together to reduce feelings of fear, anxiety, and irritability so you can build a positive connection with your child, be a fabulous role model when it comes to managing big feelings, and create a peaceful home environment for the whole family.