Pregnancy and New Moms
You’re pregnant - congratulations!
Pregnancy is both a wild ride and a condition of elevated risk for women and pregnant people in terms of mental health. Hormones run wild, your body changes every day, and emotions are often charged. There is a lot to do to get ready! It’s even a challenge to wrap your mind around the reality that a miraculous life is growing inside of you.
Pregnancy can impact mental health in a variety of ways
Every pregnancy is different. And every baby is different. Therefore, each parent’s journey is unique. However, it is always a life changing experience. Therefore, you can expect some impact on your mental wellness. Some people love being pregnant, some people hate it, some pregnancies are easy, some are extremely difficult and even traumatic. All of it is normal.
Anxiety & Depression While Pregnant
Common in pregnancy, especially you have experienced anxiety or depression before pregnancy or have had difficulty getting or staying pregnant. These symptoms get exacerbated by all the biological, social, and emotional changes you will experience throughout.
Psychiatric Medication During Pregnancy
If you discontinued psychiatric medication due to pregnancy, or if you have fear of taking medication, that may also impact your mood levels during pregnancy.
Pregnancy Can Trigger Trauma
If you are a trauma survivor, especially childhood trauma, having a baby and becoming a parent can be very triggering, even when its intensely wanted. It often drudges up visceral memories of your own trauma in unexpected ways and can complicate your experience of parenthood.
Coping With Stressful Pregnancy Complications
If you have had pregnancy complications, in the current or previous pregnancy, such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, problems with the placenta or fetus, or encounter medical racism, anti-fat bias, or ableism from your providers, your stress levels may rise significantly during pregnancy.
Body Image & Pregnancy
If you have body image issues, pregnancy can be a minefield, bringing up a lot of intense internalized fatphobia. Pregnancy care can often be stigmatizing with frequent weigh-ins and restrictive diet advice. Often, people seem to lose all sense of boundaries around pregnant women, commenting about the expectant mother’s body and touching her belly unsolicited.
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Fear of Childbirth
If you are terrified of childbirth (beyond normal nerves), it increases the risk of difficult births and birth trauma (because of a heightened stress response and tension), negatively impacts the bond you develop with baby, and can overall really taint your experience of becoming a parent. Therapy, and specifically EMDR, can help target this, reducing your fear of childbirth and helping you feel more empowered, calm, and capable. This reduces your risk of birth trauma, birth complications, and difficulty bonding with baby.
Therapy for Birth Trauma
If you or your birth partner experienced or witnessed a traumatic birth, you might experience intense physical and/or emotional distress for quite some time and it can negatively impact your well-being, your bond with baby, and your experience of parenthood. Birth trauma includes any intense and overwhelming negative experience during the birth process. Examples include (but are not limited to) emergency c-sections, life-threatening complications for mom or baby (even if both ultimately end up ok), baby going to NICU, mistreatment by healthcare staff, significant tears or blood loss, birth injuries and bodily damage, and experiences of medical racism, anti-fat bias, or ableism. This can cause traumatic stress and it is treatable- birth trauma doesn’t have to get in the way of enjoying motherhood.
Pregnancy is a beautiful, special time, but a challenging one. You deserve compassionate support from a therapist who is familiar with the challenges of pregnancy, giving you space to air your feelings without judgment.
Pregnant and & Seeking Therapy?
I work with many pregnant women as a psychologist near Los Angeles specializing in women’s mental health. In fact, I founded Well Woman Psychology so that women can be better supported in their lives, including becoming a mother. No matter if this is your first pregnancy or your 5th, I’m here to help. If you are ready to get the support you need to navigate pregnancy and take the best care of yourself and your baby (starting in utero), start with these steps:
Contact us for a consultation at Well Woman Psychology
Meet with your perinatal psychologist
Start getting the support you need
Mental Health Services for Women in Los Angeles, CA
At Well Woman Psychology, I believe every woman deserves support. Therefore, I specialize in supporting women in their journey to mental wellness whatever obstacles they may be facing. That is why I offer a wide range of therapy and counseling services including therapy for body image issues, sex therapy, EMDR therapy, grief, and individual relationship therapy. Furthermore, as a therapist for women, I also specialize in services to support your women’s health issues including therapy for miscarriage, postpartum, and infertility. All of my services are offered throughout the state of California with online therapy. As well as throughout Colorado, Illinois, New York, and Washington,