Perinatal Mental Health
Do you miss your old life? Are you feeling disconnected from your pregnancy or baby? Spaced out? Perhaps even like you’re watching someone else’s life? Maybe you’re experiencing an onset of anger of rage. Do you have racing or frightening thoughts about threats to your baby’s well-being? Are you experiencing exhaustion, but you’re unable to sleep? Therapy to support your mental health during pregnancy or postpartum can help you manage and improve these difficult symptoms. While your hard days may come and go, you do not need to wait for them to “pass,” you can take action now!
What is Perinatal Mental Health?
Pregnancy and postpartum come with an abundance of changes physically, emotionally, and relationally. Sometimes these changes aren’t as smooth or manageable as we had hoped or expected. Perinatal mood fluctuations are psychological and emotional changes that occur either pre or postnatally. Although mood fluctuations are expected in the first few weeks postpartum, when difficult symptoms persist, or worsen, you don’t need to wait it out. There is help available!
Perinatal mood disorders can impact parents (not just mothers!) any time during pregnancy or after birth. While symptoms are most prevalent in the first months postpartum, they can persist for years when left untreated. If you think your symptoms are rooted in your pregnancy or birth, it does not matter how long it has been. It is never too late to seek help!
What symptoms of perinatal mental health can therapy help with?
Therapy can help with symptoms of anxiety, sadness, rage, disconnection, panic, intrusive thoughts, overwhelm, fatigue, guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, hopelessness, frustration, and more.
What are the causes of Perinatal Mental Health Mood Disorders?
The onset of perinatal mood disorders can be impacted by life stress, traumatic experiences (especially birth and reproductive trauma), societal expectations, hormonal influence, and more.
How Can We Help You through Perinatal Mood Disorders?
When working through perinatal mood disorders, we work with clients to explore their symptom influences using the perinatal mood framework to better understand the contributing and perpetuating factors. We will provide psycho-education on tools to manage symptoms and establish healthier coping tools to help you work through those hard moments and minimize their frequency. We’ll explore your thought patterns, challenge inaccurate and unhelpful thoughts, and shift your perspective.
Different Types of Perinatal Mood Disorders
There are a wide variety of perinatal mood disorders or symptoms that may be impacting you. Below we’ve explained some of the most common:
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Perinatal depression may include well-known symptoms such as sadness and emptiness, but it may also include lesser-known symptoms such as rage and disconnection.
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Perinatal anxiety may include persistent distressing and intrusive thoughts, excessive worry, panic attacks, physical responses, and sleeplessness.
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Perinatal OCD may include obsessive thoughts, fear of harming the baby, and repeated actions to reduce anxiety.
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Postpartum psychosis includes severe symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, and manic episodes.
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Postpartum PTSD may include intrusive and distressing thoughts, flashbacks, or nightmares pertaining to the birth experience.
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Birth trauma is in the eye of the beholder and relates to the birthing person’s perception of their childbirth experience.
What are some strategies to help a perinatal mood disorder?
Examine the Evidence. Treat your thoughts as hypotheses to be tested!
o What support do I have for this thought?
o What support do I have against this thought?
o What would a friend say about this thought?
o Is this thought helpful?
o Have similar thoughts rung true in the past?
Interrupt and Stop the Worry Loop
o Take note of an anxious thought
o Say STOP, out loud or in your mind
o Visualize a stop sign or a red light
o Settle your body with deep breaths
o Contain your worry by drawing or writing it out and “trapping” it in a journal, box, or drawer.
o Shift your focus to a self-soothing activity (E.g., listen to music, go for a walk, watch tv)
Perinatal Mental Health on the Bounce Back Blog
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Transitions: The Parenting Edition