Perinatal Mental Health

Have The Baby Blues Thrown Your World Upside Down?

Are you struggling with a loss of identity in the wake of giving birth? Do you feel unsure about yourself in the parenting role? As excited as you are about your new baby, does it seem like all your old hopes and dreams are gone?

Maybe your birth didn’t go as planned. Perhaps you suffered the loss of your baby and the tragedy left you devastated. Or maybe your child was born with medical complications and the parenting experience is not what you thought it would be. You may feel stuck in a game of “woulda, coulda, shoulda” with yourself, bargaining with the past to give you back your old life.

Being A New Parent Can Feel Stressful And Unnatural

Birth can be an exciting time, but it’s often accompanied by lots of conflicting emotions. You may feel angry, irritable, and sadder than usual. Perhaps you’re constantly stressed out and on edge, always checking to make sure your baby is okay. You may face challenges with your new identity as a parent—you just don’t feel natural caring for your child and you feel like your little one would be better off with another caregiver.

On the other hand, if you lost a newborn in birth, you may be suffering from intense feelings of sadness, guilt and shame. Part of you may be relieved that you don’t have to care for a baby, and another part of you may feel bad for experiencing relief in the face of such loss.

Because of how many overwhelming emotions go hand in hand with birth, it’s essential to seek help for perinatal mental health issues. Here at Usawa Wellness Services, we are confident that we can help you navigate your postpartum issues with peace and assurance.

Many New Parents Deal With Mental Health Issues And Struggle To Find Support

Up to one in five new mothers and birthing persons suffer from a postpartum mood disorder, otherwise known as a PMAD (Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder). New parents with pre-existing mental health issues are more likely to struggle with postpartum depression, anxiety, and OCD. Additionally, their partners have about a one-in-ten chance of experiencing a PMAD.

Despite these numbers, many new parents don’t get the support they need. Part of the problem is lack of access to adequate care. We live in an increasingly isolated society where it’s hard to build a support network. Additionally, many people struggle to afford childcare or get the health insurance they need. The US is also plagued with an overwhelming lack of paid maternity (and paternity) leave. As a result, many new parents deal with their mental health issues alone and in silence.

Baby Blues That Last Longer Than Two Weeks Are Usually A Sign Of A PMAD

When you’re a new parent, it’s easy to downplay or second-guess your feelings. After all, you’ve probably heard many people say that it’s “normal” to feel down after having a baby. But just because it’s normal, that doesn’t make it worth ignoring. If baby blues persist for more than two weeks after the child is born, that’s a sign that you may be dealing with a more serious postpartum issue.

Therapy is a chance to get emotional support early on in the parenting process. It’s an opportunity to reduce your symptoms, strengthen your support system, and forge a new identity for yourself as a parent.

Perinatal Mental Health Support Can Help You Grow Into The Parent You’ve Always Wanted To Be

Because of how disruptive and life-changing birth can be, you’re probably dealing with emotions that you’ve never felt before. Therapy gives you a safe space to express these emotions without any fear of judgment or criticism. Our goal is to provide comfort, validation, and deeper understanding. We want to help you explore the role-shift in your new identity as a parent and integrate new skills and insights into your life today.

If you decide to pursue treatment, you will see one of our maternal and perinatal mental health therapists that are certified and have extensive training by Postpartum Support International and has lots of experience helping new parents. Our therapists have previous experience in the military and as hospital social workers who worked with babies and parents in the NICU and outpatient specialty clinics.

What To Expect In Sessions

The first session is a chance to get to know you and go over your history, including pregnancy, birth, and any medical issues. Whether you’ve experienced a traumatic birth, an infant loss, or postpartum depression, therapy is customizable based on your needs. Additionally, you are welcome to have your partner attend sessions with you if you’d like.

As we continue working together, we’ll help you get to the core of your internal conflict as a new parent (e.g., you love your kids but you still miss your old life). At the same time, we can also focus on practical skills for emotional regulation, such as breathwork, meditation, and other mindfulness-based activities. We want what is best for you individually, and that’s why our approach varies from client to client.

Tailoring Your Treatment Plan

Our practice takes a trauma-informed approach to the healing process. We want to help you break patterns of generational trauma and discard behaviors that no longer serve you. For instance, if you grew up in a household where people solved conflict by yelling, you may feel inclined to solve things the same way today. Therapy can help you identify intergenerational habits and maladaptive behaviors, allowing you to parent more thoughtfully.

To heal from the distress of trauma, we often draw from an approach called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing). This approach uses a series of gentle stimulation techniques like tapping and side-to-side eye movements to minimize the emotional pain created by trauma. EMDR can help you recall distressing events without feeling triggered or overwhelmed.

Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are very common, and with the right therapy, they are also very treatable. By healing from generational trauma and learning to regulate conflicting emotions, we believe you can grow into the parent—and the person—you’ve always wanted to be.

You May Have Some Concerns About Perinatal Mental Health Support…

What if people find out I’m in treatment and think I’m a bad parent?

Proactively seeking care is a sign that you are trying to be the best parent you can be. Think about it: no successful athlete gets anywhere without coaches and trainers to help them. In the same way, no one can parent successfully just by relying on their own strength. You’re beginning a brand-new chapter of your life, one filled with excitement but also uncertainty. You deserve compassionate guidance and support.

My partner doesn’t believe in therapy, but I want them to come.

People’s perceptions about therapy usually change once they actually try it. If you’d like, your therapist can talk to your partner about their hesitancies. If that doesn’t work, we recommend coming for individual treatment and working on your own mental health. If you benefit from counseling and your partner notices, maybe that will motivate them to change their mind. We aren’t here to push your partner into making a decision, but we believe that your own growth may help them shift their perspective.

How long will perinatal mental health treatment take?

Healing is not linear—there is no magic number of sessions it takes to feel better. Depending on your needs and goals, your treatment may be short-term or long-term. As long as you regularly attend sessions and actively work on improving your mental health, it is possible to experience healing.

You Don’t Have To Manage Overwhelming Emotions Alone

If you want support for birth trauma, infant loss, or any perinatal mental health issues, we would be honored to help you navigate this difficult time of life. To get started, you can email us, fill out the appointment request form, or call us at 210-951-3479.