Perinatal Mental Health
Your Mental Health Matters
Pregnancy and a new baby can cause a variety of emotions. You might feel defeated, discouraged, or worried at different times during your pregnancy and after the baby is born.
For many, these feelings go away on their own. But for some, these emotions are more problematic and may linger for a long time. Perhaps you’re experiencing more serious perinatal mood disturbances, like prenatal or postpartum depression or anxiety. These can happen any time during pregnancy or the first year after delivery.
Left undetected and untreated, things like anxiety and depression can lead to negative health outcomes for you and can affect the mother-child bond. It may also adversely affect your child’s long-term physical, emotional, and developmental health.
Help and support exists! You don’t have to do this alone.
Perinatal Depression & Anxiety
If you’re experiencing depression or anxiety during pregnancy or postpartum, you may feel:
Sad, angry, or hopeless
Foggy or have trouble completing tasks
Very anxious around the baby and your other children
Guilty or ashamed or like you are failing at motherhood
Unusually irritable or angry or experience rage
Disconnected or detached from the baby
Overly concerned about the baby
Fear of being alone with the baby
You may also experience:
Little interest in things you used to enjoy
Scary, upsetting thoughts that don't go away
Little or no energy
Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
Withdrawal from your partner, family or friends
Eating too much or too little
How Therapy Can Help
Process Birth Trauma - Learn and practice coping strategies to reduce trauma-related symptoms and process your traumatic birth experience so you can feel more at peace and more present with your baby and family.
Better Self-Care - Learn creative ways to get more rest and take care of yourself so that you can be more present and engaged with your family and your life.
Less Stress - Learn effective copy strategies to keep stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges from affecting your wellbeing.
More Balance - Gain realistic expectations for what you can do, as well as manage the expectations of family, work, and health.
Guilt-free Parenting - Learn how to move past perceived flaws in your parenting and gain acceptance that you are doing the very best you can in each of your roles.
Parent Authentically - Care for your baby while being truly and authentically yourself and attend to your own feelings, thoughts, and needs.
Healthy Relationships - Learn effective strategies to maintain a healthy connection with your partner or family.
