Perinatal Treatment
The Truth About Pregnancy and Motherhood is: It Can Be Very Stressful!
Counselling can be an enormous help for overwhelming and mixed emotions about being pregnant or being a new mother.
Pregnancy and new motherhood are journeys filled with a myriad of intense emotions. While becoming a mom is one of the most miraculous life experiences, it is also a time of immense emotional upheaval for many women.
The Myth of Motherhood
The myth of motherhood entices us all into believing that pregnancy and caring for a newborn equate sheer bliss. However, any true and honest woman will admit that there is much more to the story. The transition to motherhood includes many dramatic changes to your sense of self, your career, your relationships, and even your mood.
When you learned that you were pregnant you may have felt extreme excitement, absolute fear, or perhaps some combination of multiple emotions. By now you may have realized that you had good reason to feel some degree of fear. Motherhood is an all-encompassing job that can be quite overwhelming at times.
At it’s worst, when mothers don’t have enough support, they experience deep feelings of depression (i.e. prenatal or post-partum depression); intense worry about their pregnancy, their baby, or their role as mother. Some women also experience marked irritability or scary thoughts during pregnancy or postpartum.
Since you’ve come to our therapy website, you’ve probably experienced at least some of the following:
Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless (or postpartum depression).
Intense worry about motherhood that gets in the way of your day to day functioning or nighttime sleeping.
Feeling lonely at home with your baby all day.
Feelings of incompetence about breastfeeding or motherhood.
Intense worry about how your body looks after pregnancy and/or breastfeeding.
Frustration with your partner for not supporting you enough with your feelings or with the baby.
Mood fluctuations due to sleep deprivation and major hormonal shifts.
Feelings of guilt or shame because you’re not enjoying motherhood as you’re “supposed to”.
Grappling to make sense of just who you are and what you life means now that you’re a mom.
Worried that your stress and tension may negatively impact your pregnancy or your bonding with your baby.
Many Factors Can Contribute to the Distress of Pregnant Women and New Moms
If you can relate to some of the above, it is not surprising. Most modern-day couples are attempting to raise their families without the social support (from friends, neighbours, parents, etc.) that previous generations were privy to.
To make matters worse, you may be attempting to navigate the transition to motherhood in the midst of other major life stressors (feelings of loss associated with earlier miscarriages or infertility; high-pressure careers; moving house; a strained marital relationship; illness; etc.).
Perfectionistic tendencies can disrupt a smooth transition to motherhood. You are likely doing the best that you can without a roadmap—but it doesn’t mean you can’t feel better.
At Aligned Minds we can provide you with the guidance and support required for a successful transition to motherhood.
You Can Become a Calm, Confident Mom and Enjoy Your Transition to Motherhood
Regardless of whether you are in the prenatal or postnatal stage of this transition, there is always hope. Even the most distressed mothers can feel better with the help of an experienced counsellor
Through counselling, you can experience:
Self confidence with your “mother-self.”
An increase in positive feelings about pregnancy and motherhood.
Acceptance of motherhood as a developmental process and patience with yourself as you adapt to the major role change.
A renewed sense of self-identity as a woman and as a mother.
Freedom to care for yourself whilst caring for your baby.
The ability to regulate your own mood.
Time and space to efficiently nurture your marital relationship.
Joyful moments with your baby.
If you are pregnant or a new mother who is struggling, please get in touch. You don’t have to do this alone. Therapy can help.
You can reach us by phone at 825-509-5455 or e-mail: hello@alignedminds.ca
OR
To book your appointment using our on-line scheduling system.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Warmly, Aligned Minds
"To be aware of a single shortcoming
in oneself is more useful than to be aware of a thousand in someone else."
Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama