The postpartum experience may not be what you imagined.
Having a baby can bring a wide range of emotions, unexpected challenges, and changes to your relationships, body, and sense of self that you weren't prepared for.
Whether you're navigating postpartum depression or anxiety, processing a difficult birth, or learning about what your baby needs while adjusting to changes in your everyday life, therapy offers a place to make sense of what you're experiencing and find support along the way.
It’s not just the sleepless nights. it’s how much has changed, all at once.
Having a baby can affect many parts of your life, from how you organize your day and connect with your partner to how you experience your body and see yourself.
Alongside these changes, you're getting to know your baby, learning what they need, and navigating the ongoing responsibility of caring for someone who depends on you.
You may find that your mind rarely slows down, even when you have a chance to rest. With so much information, advice, and so many decisions to navigate, it can sometimes be difficult to sort through what feels right for you and your baby. You might also experience persistent worries about your baby's safety or unwanted, upsetting thoughts that are difficult to shake. Meanwhile, your own needs may become harder to recognize or prioritize.
If your pregnancy or birth involved stressful experiences, complications, or concerns about your baby's health, you may also be trying to make sense of what happened while adjusting to life with your baby. Medical appointments, time in the NICU, ongoing uncertainty, or memories of those experiences can add another layer of emotional weight.
Your relationships may feel different, too. You and your partner may be adjusting to new responsibilities in different ways, or you may find yourself missing the routines, connections, and parts of your life that once felt familiar. You might also find that connecting with your baby feels different or more complicated than you expected. Even when there are moments of joy and connection, you may also experience sadness, frustration, guilt, or a sense of disconnection that you hadn't anticipated.
How Therapy can help
Therapy offers a space to talk openly about the parts of motherhood that can be difficult to hold, including the complicated feelings and experiences that may be hard to share with others.
Together, we can explore what's contributing to these feelings, what your experiences may be bringing up for you, and how they may be impacting you and your relationships.
Through our work together, you may begin to:
Feel more grounded and develop greater trust in yourself. Better understand and manage anxiety, uncertainty, and overwhelm while finding greater clarity in making decisions that reflect your family's unique needs and circumstances.
Find room for yourself within motherhood. Explore how motherhood fits alongside the other meaningful parts of your life, including your relationships, interests, and evolving sense of self.
Feel less alone in your experience. Explore complicated emotions and expectations, develop a greater understanding of your experiences, and find ways to feel more understood and connected in your relationships.
Process difficult or stressful experiences. Explore the emotional impact of a difficult pregnancy, birth, or medical experiences, including how those experiences may continue to affect you and your baby.
Wherever you are in your experience of motherhood, this can be a place to begin.
Whether you're experiencing postpartum depression or anxiety, processing a difficult birth, navigating changes in your relationships, or simply finding this phase of motherhood more complicated than you anticipated, therapy can offer a place to begin.
I offer postpartum therapy in Walnut Creek and virtually throughout California. A free 15-minute consultation is an opportunity to share a little about what you're experiencing, ask questions, and explore whether working together might be a good fit.