Postpartum Therapy in Frederick, MD
EMDR therapy for moms who are struggling with the difficult transition to parenthood.
Likely in collaboration with your doctor or nurse midwife, I am here to help you recognize what is happening to you, to help you learn about it, and to create a path forward to the kind of motherhood where you can enjoy your role as a parent and person.
Whether you’re a new mom or adding to your family, postpartum issues can be frightening. I can partner with you to feel better, for your baby, sure, but just as much for YOU.
EMDR Therapy Postpartum in Frederick, MD
You know you “should” feel overjoyed that you have a new baby. But that reality is that you’re missing your old life, you’d give anything to sleep for more than 2 hours straight, and you’re starting to wonder if you’ve got the “baby blues.” Or is it something else?
1 in 7 women and 1 in 10 partners to postpartum women will suffer from a perinatal mood disorder (PMAD) during or after a pregnancy, commonly referred to as postpartum depression. If you’ve previously struggled with any mood disorder, the odds are greater. One of the “best” things about a perinatal mental health issue is that they are, with appropriate attention, extremely curable. Also, contrary to popular belief, the perinatal period includes pregnancy and the first year after the birth of a child. That’s a long time!
If you’re struggling, you don’t have to stay where you are. Postpartum depression counseling by a trained professional can help. I am trained in perinatal mental health issues by Postpartum Support International (PSI), and I’m a survivor of perinatal depression. You’re not alone. Postpartum depression counseling can help you identify what is happening within your brain and body and can empower you to take action steps to help you AND your child.
What is postpartum depression?
Different than what is commonly referred to as “the baby blues,” postpartum depression is a significant (yet highly treatable and curable!) maternal mental health issue. Whereas the baby blues are usually gone by around 2 weeks postpartum after your hormones begin to stabilize, postpartum depression can last longer and be far more intense and severe than the feelings that we often attribute to the “normal” adjustment to becoming a mom. If you feel like you’re in a fog, ask those around you, preferably a close gal pal who will be really honest with you, how they think you’re doing. If they tell you, “you’re not yourself,” it might be time to ask for help.
By reaching out for postpartum depression counseling, we can begin to assess what’s happening to get you on the path to wellness so that you can begin to enjoy motherhood.
You might be experiencing postpartum depression if you:
find yourself excessively tearful or unpredictably emotional
feel “numbed out” or even disconnected from what your feelings might be
aren’t interested in cuddling or interacting with your baby
have trouble resting or falling asleep OR are constantly sleepy or sleeping
you have a previous history of depression
Counseling for Postpartum Anxiety
What is Postpartum Anxiety?
Though postpartum issues are commonly all tossed into the “postpartum depression” category, we now know that many women experience perinatal anxiety or postpartum anxiety in which instead of feeling low, numb or disconnected, you might actually feel like everything has gone into overdrive, and you’re filled with excessive worry or concern, even if you know you’re “being irrational.” Perinatal anxiety is one of the most common perinatal mental health issues in women, especially if you’re a little anxiety prone already. Believe me, I get it.
What is postpartum OCD?
Perinatal or Postpartum Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (Perinatal OCD) is something that we don’t like to talk about because it can be upsetting, shameful, and sometimes we cannot, as moms, even believe that we are having the thoughts that we are. We judge ourselves harshly more than anyone else ever could. We hope that those thoughts or images that came out of nowhere will just go away. But they’re not abating, and they’re frightening. You’re not alone, and there is no reason to be ashamed. Let’s talk about it.
You might be experiencing perinatal OCD if:
you’re having thoughts or images flash into your mind of something awful happening to your child OR of you hurting your child
you find yourself feeling unsafe to be around your baby or as though he/she/baby does not deserve you
you are avoiding certain activities or behaviors because you fear injuring your baby
you cannot stop thinking about all of the ways that you could somehow lose your child
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Postpartum Psychosis
Postpartum Psychosis is a medical emergency for which immediate help is needed.
Signs that someone may be experiencing this are:
→ A mother is experiencing delusions and/or hallucinations and is not “based in reality”
→ Comments that a baby or mother would be better off dead or somewhere else
→ Words or actions are being said or done that are incongruent with how the person usually acts, and she has no awareness of this
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Traumatic Birth
Every mother hopes to have a fairytale birth story for their journey into motherhood. You made the birth plan, took all the prenatals, did all the things, and yet…
EMDR therapy can be a particularly helpful way to address a traumatic birth experience in which you were afraid for your own well-being or that of your child, is a very real, not often discussed occurrence in a woman’s life. I offer a safe space for you to share the good, the bad, and the ugly of your birth story so that you can begin to unburden from your experience or find a way to reframe your story. Stabilizing and processing what you’ve experienced is important, and it’s ok to be fearful about doing it. When you’re ready, I am here to help you.
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Pregnancy or Infant Loss
Miscarriage, pregnancy loss, or the loss of an infant is inarguably one of the hardest losses a woman could face. Telling your story and working through grief, on your timeline, is available to you. I offer a non-judgmental listening ear while we walk through this period together.
EMDR therapy can be particularly helpful in working through the responsibility that is often felt related to pregnancy or infant loss.
EMDR therapy for traumatic birth and postpartum anxiety
I offer EMDR therapy and somatic therapy in Frederick, MD for women who have experienced a traumatic birth and postpartum anxiety. EMDR therapy is a trauma-informed treatment modality that allows one to safely access traumatic memories so that they can be reprocessed (through eye movements) and thus become less bothersome in the present.
Up to 45% of women will report that childbirth was a traumatic experience for them, with 3% having PTSD related to birth trauma. A traumatic birth experience can result in unresolved fears or postpartum anxiety, making a mom feel excessive worry for her baby or in subsequent pregnancies. EMDR therapy is considered an emerging treatment for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.
Postpartum Counseling Resources for New Moms
Organizations:
Postpartum Support International – offers FREE weekly support groups for new moms, dads, BIPOC families, pregnancy and infant loss, and military families. I completed my training for Perinatal Mental Health through them, and I cannot recommend them enough for support in the postpartum period.
Books:
Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting, be Pamela Druckerman *** this one is a personal fave
Instagram:
@motherhoodunderstood
@postpartumsupportinternational
@womensmentalhealthdoc
@mombrain.therapist
@2020_mom