Pregnancy & Postpartum Therapy in Littleton & Throughout Colorado
Pregnancy & Postpartum Therapy
Pregnancy and becoming a mom can affect so much more than your mood. Your sleep, relationships, body, sense of self, and ability to take care of yourself can all change at once. Add in the pressure to be a good mom, keep everyone happy, and somehow do it all, and it’s understandable that you might feel overwhelmed.
About 1 in 5 women report symptoms of postpartum depression after having a baby. Postpartum anxiety is also very common. You may find yourself constantly worrying, having trouble sleeping, feeling on edge, or worrying that you’re not doing enough.
Postpartum depression can affect dads, too. About 1 in 10 fathers experience postpartum depression.
Birth can also be a difficult experience to process. About 1 in 3 women experience birth trauma. This can affect how you feel in your body, how you connect with your baby, and your overall mental health.
I support women and men through pregnancy and postpartum, including anxiety, identity changes, relationship stress, and difficult birth experiences.
Making space for you, too
Becoming a parent can bring your people pleasing patterns right to the surface. There are so many opinions about the “right” way to do things, especially with social media, family, friends, and parenting advice everywhere. It can be hard to know what actually feels right for you when you’re constantly being told what you should be doing.
If you’re used to keeping everyone happy and taking care of things on your own, you may find yourself putting even more pressure on yourself. We’ll work on getting clearer about what you need, setting boundaries, asking for help, and finding your own way of parenting that feels right and aligned with who you are.
Finding your footing as a parent
Pregnancy and postpartum can change so much, including your relationships, your identity, and the way you see yourself. If you’re used to being capable and taking care of things on your own, it can be especially hard to admit that you need support.
As a PMH-C, I have specialized training in perinatal mental health and understand the emotional changes that can come with pregnancy, birth, and becoming a parent. We’ll look at what’s happening now while also paying attention to the patterns that may be making this transition harder.
The goal is to help you feel more supported, make space for your own needs, process what you experienced during birth, and build relationships where you don’t have to carry everything yourself.
questions you may have
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There is so much pressure on moms to do things the “right” way. You’re supposed to be patient, present, healthy, organized, happy, and somehow still take care of everything else. There are opinions everywhere about how to feed your baby, sleep, work, parent, take care of yourself, and be a good mom. It can be hard to know what you actually want when there are so many expectations telling you what you should be doing.
And if you’re already used to taking care of everyone else, it can be easy to take all of that on yourself. You may feel like you’re not doing enough, even when you’re exhausted. You may feel guilty asking for help or taking time for yourself. We can talk about those expectations, figure out what actually matters to you, and make more room for you in your life as a mom.
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Honestly, you can talk about whatever is coming up for you. Pregnancy, birth, and becoming a mom can affect so many parts of your life. We might talk about anxiety, overwhelm, changes in your mood, feeling disconnected from yourself, relationship issues, or the pressure to do everything for everyone.
You can also talk about things that may feel harder to bring up, like asking for help, resentment, the invisible load, changes in your body, physical intimacy, communication with your partner, or feeling unsure of who you are now. We’ll start with what feels important to you and go from there.
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You might be wondering if what you’re going through is “bad enough” to need therapy. Maybe you’re anxious, overwhelmed, or not feeling like yourself. Maybe you’re having a hard time adjusting to being a mom, feeling frustrated with your partner, or realizing you’re taking on way more than you can handle.
You don’t have to be in crisis or have a diagnosis to come to therapy. If things feel harder than you expected, you’re struggling to ask for help, or you just want a place to talk about everything that’s changed, that’s enough. We can start there.
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Sometimes you know you’re still carrying something from your birth experience, but you’re not sure what to do with it. We can talk through what happened and, when it feels like a good fit, use Brainspotting to help you process what may still be coming up emotionally or physically. You don’t have to have a diagnosis or know whether your experience “counts” as trauma.
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Absolutely. Pregnancy and postpartum can bring significant emotional and relationship changes for dads, too. You don’t have to be the one who gave birth for this transition to affect you, and therapy can be a place to work through anxiety, stress, identity changes, relationship challenges, and everything else that may come up.
If you have a question that I haven’t answered yet, please reach out!