Pregnancy and Postpartum
Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (things like postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety), affect 1 in 5 to 7 women and 1 in 10 men. You are not alone.
You’re a new parent and having a baby is everything you dream of, except when it isn’t. You find yourself feeling anxious about everything surrounding your baby, feeling isolated, alone, maybe even sad. Maybe you’ve been experiencing intrusive thoughts of “I’m not a good parent”, “I’m going to let my baby down”, or “I can’t do this any longer”. Maybe you don’t feel a bond with your baby and are wondering what is wrong with you.
Or, maybe, this is your second or third child and you are not sure what is wrong because you did not feel this way before with your other child. This may be making taking care of your other children difficult and making being with your partner even more difficult.
Intimacy and feeling connected with your partner is likely something that doesn’t even feel like you have energy to put towards right now and is breeding resentment and disconnect.
Maybe you’re currently pregnant and are not sure how to cope with having a child because it is already so hard. There could be a history of disconnect with your family, previous traumas or losses, that are making things feel so hard right now.
There are no “supposed to’s” in parenthood. Sometimes it is hard, sometimes it is joyous, sometimes it is isolating. We feel disconnected and like we are failing because these are things no one talks about. This leaves us feeling like there is something wrong with us and like we have to shoulder it alone.
Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders impact every income level, race, culture, and age.
We’re here to talk about all the things that no one talks about. You are not the only parent to have intrusive thoughts or feel like they are failing. You are not the only parent to have suffered a loss. You are not the only parent to go through postpartum anxiety or postpartum depression.
While all of these concerns are not abnormal by any means, it also doesn’t mean that you have to sit in it and feel this way forever. You are not alone. You are valid. You deserve support.
Therapy can support with desensitizing things like birth trauma or loss, reframing or supporting with intrusive thoughts, and overall just get you to a place where you are feeling worthwhile, less overwhelmed and capable.
Let’s find the magic, again.
What are symptoms of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders?
When people think of perinatal mental health, they typically call this “postpartum” or “postpartum depression”. Perinatal mental health can start anywhere from pre-conception all the way through 3+ years after birth and includes so much more than postpartum depression.
Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders can include things like PTSD, depression, anxiety, OCD, and more. Because there is such a wide range of things individuals can experience, there is also a wide range of potential symptoms. If you’re noticing big feelings of being overwhelmed, like you’re not good enough, or just a feeling that something isn’t right, trust that.
Virtual Pregnancy and Postpartum EMDR Group
Have you experienced birth trauma, a loss of a child, or another traumatic experience surrounding pregnancy or postpartum? EMDR is an evidenced-based treatment modality that supports with desensitizing those memories. We have an ongoing, closed EMDR group for pregnancy and postpartum. This group runs for about 4 to 6 weeks and will leave individuals with less emotional charge around their trauma and feeling less overwhelmed by it.
Contact us to learn more about our current group schedule and waitlist!