Calm the Nervous System There are many ways to manage emotions and navigate life. When we organize our experiences visually, the nervous system often settles as our story begins to feel more coherent. Some of us learned foundational emotional skills growing up in homes that were stable and “good enough”. Others grew up in confusing, chaotic, or unsafe environments where emotional development had less room to unfold. And yet — emotional capacity can expand at any point in life

Trauma-Informed Support During the Perinatal Period Content note: This article discusses childhood sexual abuse and its impact on mental health during pregnancy and postpartum. Childhood sexual abuse can have long-lasting effects on a woman’s emotional and physical well-being, sometimes resurfacing during pregnancy, childbirth, or the postpartum period. This article explores how early trauma may influence perinatal mental health and offers supportive, non-judgmental guidance

Becoming a new mother is a beautiful yet challenging journey. It's common to experience a whirlwind of emotions during this time. Some days, you might feel elated and full of love. Other days, you may feel overwhelmed or anxious. Understanding this spectrum can help you navigate your feelings more effectively.

It is normal to have feelings of anxiety, stress and depression immediately following the birth are not uncommon—these feelings are often re

This article is part of the Perinatal Mental Health series, which explores pregnancy, postpartum, and loss through a biopsychosocial and nervous system–informed lens. What Causes Perinatal Mood Disorders? What are the risk factors for postpartum depression and other perinatal mood disorders? Many expectant and new mothers ask why some people develop perinatal mental health challenges while others do not. Research suggests there is no single cause. Instead, postpartum depressi

A story of perinatal mental illness and recovery wrapped in a murder mystery.

If you suffer from postpartum depression, please know that you do not need to suffer alone. Postpartum depression is treatable.

The DBT PLEASE skill focuses on caring for the body as a foundation for emotional balance - an especially important practice fore the fourth trimester.

Note: Sarah is a composite of stories shared by mothers experiencing postpartum depression. Identifying details have been altered for confidentiality. Sarah just had a baby. But she was not feeling very…well, happy. Yes, she felt overpowering love for her new baby. But she also felt irritable, depressed, nauseous and she was crying alot. Even worse, she started having nightmares. Scary nightmares that she dared not talk to anyone else about. They were, well, just plain

Facing the Reality of Postpartum Depression Postpartum depression changed my life. I let my postpartum depression go untreated for a long time after my son was born. I suffered needlessly — and my husband suffered too. A therapist very kindly referred me to a female psychiatrist, more than once. But I refused. I was nursing, and those nursing times were the best parts of my day. They were soothing. I could sit, breathe, and feel the love between us. I did not want to expose m

Pregnancy and birth are major adult transitions filled with joy, but the transition to parenthood can also bring up feelings of insecurity, sadness or fear as you and your partner move into this different phase of self-identity. Parenting an infant is difficult, but if one of you had a complicated early family life, parenting can be like navigating rough waters, as flashbacks to unpleasant scenes from childhood intrude upon present reality.

The Question Many Mothers Ask If you need medication for your mental health, is it safe to take it during pregnancy or breastfeeding? There is no zero-risk option. Not treating depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder carries risks. Taking medication carries risks. The goal is not eliminating risk — it is weighing relative risk with good information. A Personal Reflection When I experienced postpartum depression over two decades ago, I chose not to take medication because I w

Infant Loss is a Family Event The death of a baby is a deep loss. Parents who have lost a baby to miscarriage or stillbirth are struggling to cope with their grief. And often these parents have young children who were looking forward to having a little brother or little sister. Infant loss is not only a parental loss. It's a family event. Even in their time of pain, parents are called to to help their surviivng children process at he level they can understand and to feel

Updated February 19, 2022 Dancing on the Edge of Sanity asks once again How Often Must We Ask for Sensitive Care? It’s easy to connect with Ana Clare Rouds’ personal story of the reality of motherhood in her book, Dancing on the Edge of Sanity . She shares her personal story about her experience with postpartum depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and she eloquently brings out several issues. Her story reminds us that: we need shame-busting! the anxiety,

The Fourth Trimester and Extended Family Different cultures acknowledge the postpartum period in different ways. In the United States, postpartum is viewed as a time when the new mom is expected to quickly recover and become mobile and get back to “normal” life. The focus is on healthy pregnancy and birth and how to care for a newborn. However, the mother's physical and emotional transition receives less attention as part of the postpartum conversation in the US. Think ab

Dr. Samantha Meltzer-Brody In 2014, I had the opportunity to speak with Samantha Meltzer-Brody about a groundbreaking development in perinatal mental health care: the creation of the first and only psychiatric Mother-Baby inpatient unit in the United States at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Meltzer-Brody serves as Associate Professor and Director of the Perinatal Psychiatry Program at UNC and has long been a leader in reproductive psychiatry. The Mother-Baby

This year again I have the honor of hosting Megan Daley! Megan discusses her challenges with perinatal mood disorders twice in her lifetime. Now pregnant with her third child, she talks about her concerns in this pregnancy for her postpartum health and how she is proactively creating a personal postpartum plan. To help others, Megan outlines resources that helped her through her dark times. She says: “The most important thing I ever did was finally put down the mask.” P

Originally posted January 10, 2014. A recent study about finding a link between postpartum depression and fear of childbirth has been getting a lot of press . The press I read reported the study showed a prevalence of .03% of postpartum depression. I felt like the public was being fed bits and pieces of the study, so I read the whole article and wanted to bring out a few key facts. The researchers, led by lead study author Dr. Sari Raisanen, an epidemiologist and visiting

Originally posted October 15, 2013. Losing a baby through miscarriage or stillbirth leads causes an increase in suffering, including disbelief, grief, shock, denial, anger, sadness and anxiety. These strong and primal emotions can take a toll on your marriage relationship. Recent research published by Dr. Katherine Gold and her colleagues in the journal, Pediatrics, indicates that couples who experience miscarriage or stillbirth have a greater chance of divorce than coup

Originally posted October 10, 2013. It’s October 10, 2013 and I’m again honored to be participating in PsychCentral’s World Mental Health Blog Day. I have a busy mental health practice and an active perinatal mental health blog. I have advanced training in trauma work and people come in to talk about many different types of trauma. So I felt like I couldn’t let 2013 World Mental Health Day go by without taking pause to acknowledge the tragic incidents in Washington, DC la