You thought this season would feel different…

Postpartum anxiety can look different for everyone. You may constantly worry about your baby's health, fear making the wrong decision, replay conversations, or imagine worst-case scenarios. Physical symptoms are also common and may include a racing heart, muscle tension, difficulty sleeping even when your baby sleeps, restlessness, digestive discomfort, or feeling constantly on alert.

Many people with postpartum anxiety become overwhelmed by the pressure to do everything perfectly. They may avoid asking for help, seek frequent reassurance, or struggle to relax.

If these experiences are interfering with your daily life or making it difficult to enjoy your baby or care for yourself, you're not alone. Therapy can help you understand these symptoms, regulate your nervous system, and regain a greater sense of calm and confidence.

Many parents are frightened by intrusive thoughts after having a baby, but these thoughts are more common than most people realize. Intrusive thoughts are unwanted, distressing images or ideas that suddenly enter your mind. They often involve fears about your baby's safety and can leave you questioning yourself or wondering if something is wrong with you.

Having intrusive thoughts does not mean you want them to happen or that you're a danger to your baby. In fact, parents with postpartum anxiety are typically deeply distressed by these thoughts because they care so much about keeping their baby safe.

Therapy can help you understand why these thoughts occur, reduce the fear surrounding them, and teach your nervous system to respond differently so they become less overwhelming and less frequent.

It's common to feel nervous after bringing home a new baby. Becoming a parent is a significant life transition, and many parents feel more protective, emotional, or uncertain during the postpartum period. That said, when worry becomes persistent, overwhelming, or begins interfering with your sleep, relationships, or ability to function, it may be more than typical postpartum adjustment.

Many parents delay seeking help because they assume anxiety is just part of becoming a new parent. Postpartum anxiety is one of the most common perinatal mental health conditions, and you don't have to wait until things become unbearable before reaching out.

Seeking support early can help prevent anxiety from becoming more entrenched while giving you practical tools to navigate this transition with greater confidence and self-compassion.

Postpartum anxiety affects both your mind and your body. I use a Somatic and Internal Family Systems (IFS)-informed approach to help regulate your nervous system while exploring the protective patterns beneath your anxiety.

Somatic therapy helps you notice how anxiety shows up physically and teaches your body that it can experience moments of safety, even during uncertainty. IFS helps us understand anxious thoughts as protective parts that are trying to keep you and your baby safe, rather than a sign that something is wrong with you.

Together, these approaches help reduce overwhelm, increase self-trust, and support you in feeling calmer, more grounded, and more connected.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is one of the most common perinatal mental health conditions, affecting 1 in 5 moms and 1 in 10 dads during the first year after having a baby. It’s common to experience emotional ups and downs after birth, but persistent sadness, hopelessness, loss of interest, and difficulty enjoying things that previously filled your cup might be signs of something deeper.

Postpartum depression doesn’t make you a bad parent or mean that you've done something wrong. Hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, previous mental health concerns, birth trauma, relationship stress, and major life transitions can all contribute. With the right support, you can reconnect with yourself and experience the joy you may have hoped to experience during parenthood.

Postpartum depression affects more than just your mood. Many parents describe feeling emotionally numb, overwhelmed, disconnected, or like they've "lost themselves." You may cry frequently, feel hopeless, withdraw from loved ones, lose interest in activities you once enjoyed, or struggle to experience joy even during meaningful moments with your baby. Some parents feel irritable or angry instead of sad, while others are weighed down by guilt, shame, or the belief that they're failing.

Physical symptoms such as exhaustion, changes in appetite, difficulty sleeping, and trouble concentrating are also common. Because these symptoms can overlap with the normal demands of caring for a newborn, postpartum depression is often overlooked or minimized.

If these feelings persist for more than two weeks or interfere with your ability to function, it may be time to seek additional support. Therapy can help you understand what's happening, reduce symptoms, and support your recovery.

The “baby blues” are a common and temporary adjustment that affects many parents during the first few days after childbirth. After birth, estrogen and progesterone take a dive. This sudden drop in hormones can lead to unexpected tearfulness, sadness, and overwhelm known as the “baby blues”. While these feelings can be intense, they typically improve on their own within one to two weeks.

Postpartum depression is more persistent and significantly impacts your emotional well-being and daily functioning. Symptoms may include ongoing sadness, hopelessness, irritability, guilt, emotional numbness, loss of interest in activities, difficulty bonding with your baby, or feeling unlike yourself. If your low mood lasts more than a couple of weeks, it may be time to consider seeking additional support.

If you're unsure whether what you're experiencing is the baby blues or postpartum depression, it might be worth booking a free consult. Reaching out early can help you better understand your symptoms, receive appropriate support, and begin healing before you feel worse.

Many parents expect to feel an immediate sense of joy or fulfillment after their baby arrives. Instead, they find themselves feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, or unsure of who they are. Pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period involve significant physical, hormonal, emotional, and identity changes, making it common to feel like you've lost touch with yourself.

For some, this shift is part of adjusting to parenthood. For others, it may be a sign of postpartum depression. You may struggle to recognize the person you once were, question your confidence, or feel disconnected from activities and relationships that previously brought you joy.

Therapy can help you process this transition with compassion, reconnect with your individual identity, and rediscover the parts of your that may feel buried beneath the demands of parenthood. You don't have to choose between being a devoted parent and remaining connected to who you are.

Postpartum anxiety or depression can affect any parent, regardless of age, background, or how much they love their baby. While there isn't a single cause, certain factors can increase the likelihood of developing postpartum anxiety or depression. These include a personal or family history of anxiety or depression, previous postpartum mood disorders, a history of disordered eating, a difficult pregnancy or birth experience, hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, limited social support, relationship stress, financial strain, infertility or pregnancy loss, caring for a baby with medical or feeding challenges.

Certain personality traits can also make the transition to parenthood more difficult. If you've always been highly self-critical, perfectionistic, Type “A”, or someone who puts everyone else's needs before your own, you may be more vulnerable to postpartum depression. These patterns often make it harder to ask for help, rest, or acknowledge your own emotional needs. Understanding your risk factors isn't about predicting who will struggle, it's about recognizing when additional support may be beneficial. Early intervention can make a meaningful difference in helping you to feel more like yourself again.

Postpartum depression can affect your mind, body, and spirit, which is why I take a somatic, Internal Family Systems (IFS)- informed approach.

Somatic therapy helps you notice how depression shows up in your body while gently increasing your capacity for presence, connection, and emotional regulation. IFS helps us to better understand the parts of you that may carry shame, self-criticism, or the pressure to be a "perfect" parent. Together, we'll approach these parts with curiosity rather than judgment to learn how they trying to support you and how they me be able to support you better.

As therapy progresses, many parents experience more energy, self-trust, emotional connection, and hope, which leaves them better equipped to navigate the challenges of parenthood.

You don't need to wait until you're in crisis to benefit from therapy. If anxiety or depressive symptoms gets in the way of enjoying your baby, relaxing, or feeling like yourself, it's a good time to reach out. Early support can help you spend less time surviving the postpartum period and more time feeling present, connected, and confident in your role as a parent.

Therapy can also be helpful if you're experiencing perfectionism, people-pleasing, intrusive thoughts, guilt, or difficulty adjusting to your new identity as a parent. You deserve support just as much as your baby deserves care.