Postpartum and New Parent Support

He’s screaming again.

You feel like you just rested your head to sleep, and already he’s awake again, crying to be fed. You didn’t realize it was possible to reach this level of exhaustion and still be functioning – well, just barely functioning.

After carrying your little one for nine “long” months, you couldn’t wait to meet them. You dreamed about what your baby would look like and who he would become.

Now that he’s here and you are with him 24 hours a day, life is not like you thought it would be. Of course, you love your baby and would do anything for them, but you didn’t know it would be “quite this hard” to care for him in the early days.

You’ve never felt like this much of a failure in your life.

Then comes self-criticism.

“Am I a bad parent?”

“Who let me have this baby anyway?”

Your social media feed is full of parents with perfect hair and big smiles as they hold their newborns, and yet you can’t remember the last time you showered, much less fixed your hair.

Mom, things will get better.

As a mom of two teenage boys, I can assure you IT GETS BETTER. The story above describes my experience as a new mom all those years ago – alone, scared, depressed.

I cried every day for weeks, trying to figure out how to care for my son, who was always hungry and constantly crying. It was the most challenging job I ever had to do and turned out to be the most rewarding job of all.

New parents need support!

Whether it is getting through the early days as a new parent or healing from old wounds from your childhood that have seemed to resurface, therapy can help you learn the skills needed to thrive as a parent and become your best self for this new chapter of your life.

Sometimes, it’s learning to set boundaries with family members who mean well but make your job as a new parent harder. We’ll create a treatment plan catered to your needs and individual goals. We’ll explore how your relationships with your parents and caregivers can influence the emotions that arise for you as a new parent.

I’ll help through the transition back to the work setting and all the wonderful and sometimes terrifying milestones. We’ll explore how becoming a new parent sometimes changes the feelings between you and your partner. Most importantly, we’ll explore that feeling of “Parent Guilt” that causes you to question every decision and action you take.

Taking care of yourself as a new parent is not selfish.

The best gift you can give your child is a healthy, happy, well-adjusted parent. Therapy can be part of that formula for creating a happy family.

Contact me today for more information on how I support new parents like you.