Support for New Parents
The entry in parenthood can trigger many powerful emotions. For some those emotions are filled with excitement, anticipation, and joy, but for others the experience is a bit more challenging and can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, sadness, hopelessness, confusion and anxiety.
Is your transition into parenthood more of a strain than you expected?
Moms…
Do you often find tears welling up in your exhausted eyes? Are you feeling overwhelmed or unable to meet the demands on you?
Or maybe you’d like the support of a compassionate expert to guide you through the early days of motherhood? With a little bit of help, you could be there fully for your child, and connect with yourself and your partner on a deeper level.
Are you experiencing mood swings, unexplainable sadness that will not go away, resentment towards your child, feelings of inadequacy, thoughts of abandonment, crying spells, significant changes in your ability to concentrate, changes in appetite, loss of libido, and social withdrawal? The are all symptoms that suggest you are suffering from post-partum depression and you are not alone. Approximately 10% of new mothers develop Postpartum depression. If this is you, it is important to seek help from a professional who understands and can help you feel less alone. If left untreated symptoms can continue for months or years and can having devastating effects on the mother, child and family. Not only can postpartum affect the mothers emotional, physical and mental health, but it can interfere with the healthy emotional, physical and mental development of a newborn baby, having harmful implications on that child’s ability to connect with others now and in their future.
Statistics show that 21.9% of women experience depression in the year after childbirth. One in seven new parents experience postnatal anxiety.
When a woman becomes a mom, a rush of changes occurs. These changes include those that directly affect her biology, such as hormonal shifts and a lack of sleep, as well as more social or personal changes, such as relationship shifts and the added pressure of familial, cultural, and societal expectations & commentary.
Dads…
Do you feel unprepared for the transition into fatherhood?
Is it difficult to meet the demands of a full-days work and return home for additional household chores, and meeting the demands that come with caring for a newborn?
Do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed and anxious when you can’t fix the needs of your fussy baby?
Are you feeling left out and alone because your newborn is absorbing all of your wife’s time, but you feel too guilty to express your feelings and thoughts?
When a man becomes a father, life drastically changes. These changes, similar but different from the changes a new mom experiences, may include lack/interrupted sleep, relationship and role shifts, and added pressure of familial, cultural and societal expectations and commentary.
An Oxford University study published in May 2015, which followed 15 first-time fathers, found that five showed signs of mild to moderate depression two weeks after their child’s birth, and one showed symptoms of moderately severe depression at six months.
To Our New Parents
Becoming a new parent always changes more about our lives than we expect, and counseling is an important means to ensure you receive the support and guidance you need through this intense time.
So, whether you’re first time parents, or already have another child or children, each pregnancy, each birthing, and each baby is different. Counseling can help you cope with the strains that cause your feelings of overwhelm, as well as enhance this wonderful time of life for you.
So, if these sound like you…
– I want to feel more fully connected to my child
– I want to increase the chances that new parenthood will bring me and my partner closer
– I think I need to do everything perfectly, but I’m failing
– I wish to thrive in parenthood, but I don’t know if I am
– I would like support and understanding
…Then “new parent” counseling could be for you.
Therapy can help you feel valued, calm, capable, and connected as you begin or continue your motherhood journey. Therapy can help with a wide variety of new parenthood issues, from smaller issues and feelings, to dealing with the major challenges or transitions that you or a partner could be experiencing.
In our non-judgmental, supportive practice we will discuss your wants and needs openly and respectfully. Our evidence-based techniques, therapies, and experience will help pave the way for an enjoyable beginning to your journey through parenthood. If you’re looking for an understanding ear to help you through this time, please contact me today for an appointment