Frequently Asked Questions
I think I have the baby blues...or maybe it's something more?
The "baby blues" are incredibly common. During the first couple of weeks after birth, it's normal to feel more emotional, tearful, overwhelmed, or sensitive as your body and life adjust to enormous change. Although those moments can feel intense, they usually come and go, and you still experience periods where you feel like yourself.
If your symptoms last longer than two weeks, feel overwhelming, interfere with your relationships, your ability to function, or make it difficult to enjoy life or connect with your baby, there may be something more going on.
Perinatal depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and other Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) are common, treatable, and nothing to be ashamed of. You don't need to wait until things become unbearable to ask for help.
If you're wondering whether what you're experiencing is "normal," let's talk. You don't have to figure it out alone.
What is a Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder?
Perinatal mental health includes the emotional challenges that can arise during pregnancy and throughout the first year after birth—and sometimes beyond.
It might look like constant worry, panic, intrusive thoughts, irritability, sadness, numbness, guilt, difficulty sleeping even when your baby sleeps, feeling disconnected from yourself or your baby, or simply thinking, "I'm just not myself anymore."
Everyone's experience is different. My role isn't just to determine whether you meet criteria for a diagnosis—it's to understand what's happening for you and help you feel like yourself again.
I don't have a baby yet. Can I still work with you?
Absolutely.
My work extends far beyond postpartum counseling. I support individuals and couples navigating fertility, infertility, pregnancy after loss, reproductive decision-making, pregnancy, birth preparation, pregnancy complications, infant loss, birth trauma, and the many emotional transitions that can accompany growing a family.
You don't have to wait until after your baby arrives to deserve support.
It's been more than a year since I had my baby. Could this still be affecting me?
Yes.
While we often use the word perinatal to describe pregnancy through the first year postpartum, many people continue struggling well beyond that first birthday. Sometimes symptoms never fully resolved. Sometimes they emerge later as life becomes less about survival and there's finally space to notice how much you've been carrying.
Whether your baby is three months old or three years old, it's never "too late" to seek support.
What is birth trauma?
Birth trauma isn't defined by whether someone else thinks your birth "should" have been traumatic.
It's defined by how you experienced it.
A birth can be medically uncomplicated and still leave someone feeling terrified, powerless, unheard, or violated. Likewise, a medically complicated birth doesn't automatically result in trauma.
If pregnancy, birth, or postpartum continues to show up through panic, intrusive memories, avoidance, guilt, grief, or difficulty trusting your body, therapy can help you process what happened and move toward healing.
I'm not depressed. I'm just angry.
Anger is one of the most overlooked symptoms of perinatal mental health conditions.
Anxiety often looks like irritability. Depression can show up as frustration, resentment, emotional numbness, or feeling like you have no patience left.
One of the most common things I hear is, "I'm just not myself."
If that sounds familiar, it's worth exploring what's underneath the anger—not judging yourself for having it.
What if I'm having scary thoughts?
Many new parents experience unwanted, intrusive thoughts that feel frightening or disturbing.
These thoughts are not the same as wanting to hurt your baby.
In fact, people experiencing intrusive thoughts are usually deeply distressed because the thoughts are so inconsistent with who they are and what they value.
The good news is that intrusive thoughts are highly treatable. I have advanced training in evidence-based approaches including ERP and Inference-Based CBT (I-CBT), and together we can help you understand what's happening and reduce the fear these thoughts create.
Can we talk about pregnancy loss, reproductive decisions, or abortion?
Yes.
Growing Well Counseling is a place where you can talk openly about pregnancy loss, infertility, abortion, TFMR, adoption, reproductive decision-making, and the many emotions that can accompany these experiences.
My role is not to tell you what decisions to make. My role is to create a compassionate, nonjudgmental space where you can explore your values, process your experiences, and feel supported—wherever your journey has taken you.