Perinatal and Infertility Mental Health

What Are the Common Issues New Parents Face During Pregnancy, Birth, Postpartum, and Post-Adoption?

Welcoming a new member of your family through birth or adoption can be an exhilarating, joyful, challenging, disorienting, uncertain, stressful, isolating, frightening, and overwhelming experience. Parents of all genders can experience significant changes in their biology, physiology, environment, support systems, careers, priorities, routines, and identities. In times of major changes and transitions, it is common to experience emotional distress. This life transition may also bring up previous wounds and traumas that have been buried for a while. Both parents may experience various symptoms of perinatal, postpartum, and post-adoption mental health concerns.

Symptoms of Perinatal, Postpartum, and Post-Adoption Depression and Anxiety

  • Depressed mood
  • Severe mood swings 
  • Irritability, anger, and rage
  • Social withdrawal
  • Crying spells
  • Changes in appetite 
  • Having intrusive or obsessive thoughts  
  • Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
  • Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
  • Constant exhaustion and fatigue
  • Reduced interest and pleasure in the things you used to enjoy
  • Not enjoying your time with your baby
  • Feeling disconnected from your baby, your partner, and/or yourself
  • Increased relational conflicts with your partner 
  • Difficulty with body image
  • Having trouble bonding with your child or feeling the “joy of parenthood”
  • Feeling alone, scared, restless, and anxious
  • Feeling that you have lost a sense of who you are
  • Feelings of guilt, shame, or worthlessness
  • Panic attacks
  • Chronic pain or medical concerns as a result of complicated or traumatic birth  
  • Thoughts of killing or harming yourself or your child   ​​

What Are the Common Experiences Related to Infertility, Miscarriage, Stillbirth or Other Grief and Loss Related to Pregnancy?

couple embracing | perinatal mental health in seattle | postpartum and perinatal counseling
Loss on your journey to becoming a parent and creating a family can be devastating. Loss can be the result of infertility, selective abortion due to medical reasons, miscarriage, still birth, traumatic birth, infant loss, or having a child with special needs. Grief and loss related to pregnancy and birth can have significant impacts on you, your partner, your children, and your extended family. Some of the common emotions related to grief and loss are: denial, guilt, shame, anger, depression, stress, anxiety, envy,  and yearning. Individuals and couples may experience low self-esteem, marital problems, relationship distress, sexual problems, and doubts about their competence after loss. If your grief does not ease over time, our individual or couples therapists who specialize in grief and loss can offer help and support.

What Does Therapy Look Like?

It is important to have support during any major life transitions, losses, or challenges. We are licensed psychologists and mental health counselors who help new and expecting parents navigate this important life transition. Therapy during this adjustment will help you establish healthy coping skills, feel less alone, find confidence and joy in your new role as a parent, and/or heal from trauma and grief. We will explore the challenges you are experiencing and help you understand the stories you hold about being a parent. We use holistic approaches to treatment where we will consider your evolving identities and contexts. We help you learn to care for your personal needs as well as your relationships with your partner, child, and extended family.

Therapy Services Offered

Here at Thrive for the People, we have exceptional therapists who can provide you with support in the following areas: 

Begin Perinatal, Postpartum, Post-Adoption, and Infertility Mental Health Treatment in Our Ballard Clinic or Through Online Therapy

You do not have to go through the experiences related to birth, pregnancy, infertility, or adoption alone. With the right support, you and your partner can find peace, joy, healing, and deeper bonding through this time. If what you’ve read here resonates with you and you are ready to invest in your mental health and the health and well-being of your family, we look forward to hearing from you. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation today and see if one of our compassionate therapists is the right fit for you.

Other Counseling Services

You are a unique individual and you might have more than one issue that you are struggling with. Our wonderful and caring counselors offer a variety of counseling services at our Ballard counseling clinic or through online therapy. We use evidence-based, feminist multicultural, and social justice-oriented approaches to help you thrive with challenges. Some of the other services we offer include therapy for anxiety, depression, trauma, and disordered eating as well as marriage and couples counseling.