In-Person in Walnut Creek, online in the Bay Area & throughout CA.
Counseling for Pregnancy & Postpartum
You are not alone, and this is not your fault. With help, you will get better.
While pregnant, people ask about the baby, but no one asks about how you are doing.
In your postpartum days, your partner, family & friends are trying to be supportive, but they just don't get it.
I see you. This season of life is so hard to manage.
You’re trying to juggle your own prenatal care in pregnancy while getting everything ready for baby. Scrolling through social media for tips and tricks, taking baby, birthing, and breastfeeding classes, writing a postpartum plan, getting the nursery ready, figuring out mat leave. It’s overwhelming, stressful, and scary! Yet no one has taken the time, nor given you the space, to talk about how to take care of you. You ask yourself: How do others juggle all this and their careers? How do I communicate my needs to my partner? What do I do now while I have the time to prepare myself for the transition to motherhood? How will I navigate boundaries with family members in the early postpartum period? Am I ready?
Your postpartum period is here - baby is now cradled in your arms. You are learning to navigate changing hormones, a changing body, and changing relationships while maintaining hyperfocus on baby feeding schedule, number of wet diapers, and sleep schedule. You oftentimes feel alone and isolated, and find yourself wondering: I feel tearful all the time, is this normal? Why am I so irritable and short with my partner? Do others experience these scary and intrusive thoughts? When will I start to feel like myself again? No one told me it was going to be this hard.
What are Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders
Did you know: Mood changes in pregnancy and the ‘baby blues’ in the early weeks of postpartum are a common occurrence for most women, but for 15-20% of the perinatal population, symptoms can turn into significant anxiety and depression? Moms of every culture, income level, age and race can develop a perinatal health disorder, and it is not the fault of the mama. With help from a specialized therapist, you can overcome this.
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Anger, sadness, irritability and guilt
Changes in eating and sleeping habits
Lack of interest in the baby
Changes in eating and sleeping habits
Trouble concentrating
Thoughts of hopelessness
Worrying thoughts of harm coming to self or baby
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Extreme worries and fears, often over health and safety of baby and mama
Panic attacks that may include: shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, numbness and tingling, and a feeling of losing control
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Obsessions: repetitive, upsetting, and unwanted thoughts or mental images
Compulsions: doing things over and over to decrease the anxiety caused by the obsessions
Moms who experience these thoughts find them very unusual and worrisome, sometimes even scary. Moms who experience these thoughts are very unlikely to act on them.
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Caused by a frightening childbirth experience or past trauma
Flashbacks, feelings of anxiety, and a need to avoid things related to that event may be experienced
To read more, head to the EMDR Therapy for Perinatal and Birth Trauma section
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Bipolar depression or mania is often diagnosed first in pregnancy or postpartum
Bipolar disorders may appear as a severe depression
A trained professional can help you figure out if you are experiencing depression or a Bipolar Mood Disorder
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Seeing and hearing images that others cant (hallucinations)
Distrust those around them and have a hard time believing others
Periods of confusion and memory loss
Mania:
This is a severe condition and it is important to seek help immediately
Occurs in .1%-.2% of births
Usually within the first 2 weeks of birth, but can appear up to 1 year postpartum
My Approach to Pregnancy & Postpartum Counseling
Together, we will work on:
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You had the best intentions of focusing on self-care in pregnancy, and had one goal in mind for mat leave: rest. Instead, you found yourself hyper focused on nesting, making sure your hospital bag was perfectly packed, and your postpartum recovery plan had everything you may need.
Maybe you are in the beginning stages of pregnancy and already feel overwhelmed. Maybe you are in your third trimester or a couple months postpartum and are running on empty. I get it.
In our initial sessions together, we will work on identifying what your immediate needs are for self care. We will create a plan together that helps you meet your needs on a daily basis, taking into account your energy levels, your emotional state, and your resources. In your self-care plan, we will use your strengths - what's worked well for you in the past, as well as new strategies and coping skills from my bucket of tools for mamas in pregnancy or postpartum.
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This season of life comes with a rollercoaster of changing emotions! In our work together, we will not only discuss the ‘whys’ to your fluctuating moods, but also the ‘hows’ for healthy regulation. We will discuss the science behind what is happening in your pregnancy and/or postpartum brain, followed up by techniques that are known to be effective for this season of life.
We will talk about how your emotions have been affecting you, your relationship with your partner, and your bonding with your baby. We will also discuss any big emotions that come up for you in the transition to motherhood, whether it be worries and doubts about bonding and parenting, or anxieties and triggers from your own childhood.
You can expect to leave sessions with a consistently growing toolkit that helps you exercise self-compassion, feel empowered, in control, and grounded in this season of life.
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Entering this new phase of life can feel intimidating and lonesome. Without a tribe of support, it can be easy to feel exhausted, overwhelmed and anxious. We often talk about the importance of ‘mama tribes’, but we don’t talk about how to access that.
The need for a postpartum tribe is built into our genetics. In many traditional cultures, the support of a postpartum tribe for mama and baby is weaved into the transition to motherhood, but modern culture tends to encourage isolation and self-reliance. Studies show that cultures that have long held traditions of supporting new mothers have less postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety.
In our work together, we will discuss what your current support system looks like, and how well it is working for you. If need be, we can discuss how to incorporate healthy boundaries to strengthen the positive support you can gain from family and friends.
We will also talk about what a support system can look like outside of therapy, and the resources available to you in your community. Whether you need a doula, lactation consultant, pelvic floor physical therapist, baby and me classes, or a new mama group to join, we will help you figure out the puzzle pieces to your tribe - together.
What we’ll work on
Pregnancy and Postpartum Counseling can help you with:
Learning new effective tools to relieve current symptoms
Coping with and thriving in adjustments in pregnancy and postpartum period
Understanding how your biological, hormonal responses in pregnancy and postpartum affect you emotionally
Navigating changing relationships between you and your partner, family, friends, and colleagues
Creating a postpartum plan that keeps your wellbeing at the forefront
Bonding strategies with newborn when you feel tired, anxious, overwhelmed, or disconnected
EMDR Therapy for Perinatal and Birth Trauma
Experiencing a trauma in pregnancy, delivery, or postpartum period requires support from a professional that is not only trained in trauma response interventions, but also fully understands how to treat trauma in the perinatal period . Symptoms are real, and difficult, and very treatable.
Approximately 33- 45% of birthing people report experiencing a traumatic childbirth. Here are some of the symptoms that you may be experiencing:
Feeling easily startled or on edge
Feeling irritable, low, rageful, or experiencing shame
Experiencing flashbacks or nightmares or having trouble with sleep
Avoidance of people - partner, baby, family members, care providers
Bring triggered by other people’s pregnancies or discussions of birth
Trouble connecting with baby
Feeling disconnected from others
Eye Movement and Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) is one of the most preferred methods for treating trauma experienced in the perinatal population. EMDR can help with healing from traumatic experiences that may have included: unplanned C-sections, use of interventions in labor and delivery, feeling of powerlessness or poor communication during delivery, NICU stays, breastfeeding trauma or triggers from past abuse. Please note that this list does not encompass all experiences a birthing person may experience.
Learn more about it here.
Let’s work together to help you feel like your old self again.
FAQS
Common questions about about Pregnancy and Postpartum Counseling
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Perinatal refers to the time period from pregnancy to postpartum. Many use the perinatal term as a time to describe the first year postpartum, but we now have research that shows the postpartum period extends for many years beyond the first.
In my practice, I do not adhere to the first year of postpartum as the ‘perinatal’ period and I welcome all moms who reach out for support.
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Absolutely! At the Caring Group Counseling Center, you will find a waiting room that has all the amenities needed for your baby and you - a changing table, feeding area, extra onesies and diapers, tea, snacks, and much more.
In session, if your baby wants to be held or is having a tough moment, please feel comfortable in including them in session! Whether you have to feed the baby, get on the floor with the baby, or walk around the house, I just ask that you use wireless headphones so we can continue to work together and I can support you however you show up at that moment in time.
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You have noticed changed in your partner’s behavior and are worried that they may be experiencing a postpartum mood disorder such as:
postpartum depression (PPD), postpartum anxiety (PPA), postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder (PPOCD), postpartum post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or postpartum bipolar
You are worried and looking to gain support. Here are some ways to do this. First, I recommend encouraging your partner to reach out for support and help them in finding a professional therapist, along with other community resources. If your partner is unable to reach out for support, you can contact the warm line at postpartum support international 1.800.944.4773 , or call 988.
If you believe your partner may be experiencing postpartum psychosis, is in danger of hurting themselves, their child, or someone else, please call 911 or take them to the nearest emergency room.
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I do. In my practice, I have often held space for moms to process these difficult experiences in a gentle and compassionate way. I use Eye Movement and Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) to assist in healing. Learn more about EMDR here.
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Definitely! Upon initiation of therapy, you can sign a release of information so that we can work with your PCP, OBGYN, Pelvic Floor Specialist, and whoever you see fit for a wrap around approach.