Postpartum Depression and Anxiety
You’ve Always Wanted to Be a Mom
But here you are with a brand new baby, and motherhood isn’t at all what you expected.
You weren’t naïve. You knew it would be work. Of course you knew you’d be tired, and that it would take time to adjust to caring for an infant.
But this is different.
Instead of joy, you’ve got tears, sad tears. Anxiety has taken over your thoughts and you can’t get a handle on it. You don’t feel like any recognizable version of yourself. You compare yourself to other moms, they seem blissful, but you’re not feeling much hope at all.
Maybe you’ve had unwanted thoughts you think no decent mom should ever have, and the idea of telling anyone is mortifying. You ask yourself, “what kind of mother thinks this way?”
Your family means well. They tell you you’re just adjusting to being a new mom, if only it were as simple as sleeping when the baby sleeps.
Your gut tells you this is something more. You feel like a bad mom.
You Are Not a Bad Mom, and You Are Not Alone
Great moms can have awful thoughts and struggle with feelings of sadness and guilt after their baby is born. Awesome moms can have difficulty bonding with their babies. Amazing moms can have periods of hopelessness and mood swings after baby arrives. Postpartum depression and anxiety are medical conditions, not character flaws, and not a reflection of how much you love your child. They’re also far more common than most new moms realize, and they’re treatable.
What Postpartum Depression and Anxiety Can Look Like
No two experiences look exactly the same, but common signs include:
- Persistent sadness, tearfulness, or feeling emotionally numb
- Intense worry or racing thoughts that won’t quiet down, especially about your baby’s safety or health
- Difficulty bonding with your baby, or feeling disconnected from the experience of motherhood
- Intrusive, unwanted thoughts that feel frightening or out of character
- Irritability or anger that feels disproportionate or unfamiliar
- Trouble sleeping even when your baby is sleeping
- A persistent feeling that you’re failing, or that you’re not cut out for this
If any of this sounds familiar, it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you as a mother. It means your body and mind are asking for support.
How Therapy Can Help
Therapy gives you a space to say the things you haven’t felt safe saying out loud, without fear of judgment, and without needing to perform “fine” for anyone. We’ll work together to understand what you’re experiencing, build tools to manage the anxiety and low moods day to day, and help you reconnect with a version of yourself that feels more like, well, you.
This isn’t about being told to sleep more or “just enjoy this time,” advice you’ve probably already heard plenty of. It’s about real, practical support for what you’re actually going through.
In Person or Virtual, Whatever Works for You
It’s hard to take care of yourself when you’re feeling this way, so let’s make it as easy as possible to get started. You’ve got options: meet with me in person and get out of the house for a bit, or stay in your sweats and meet virtually through secure teletherapy. It’s your choice.
Send me an email, text, or call me. Let’s get you where you want to be.
If you’d like more support, you may also find Perinatal Loss and Miscarriage or Couples Therapy helpful, especially if your relationship has felt strained during this transition.
