Perinatal Mental Health

There is a quiet kind of ache that can settle in after having a baby. It can look like sadness or it can just be a sense of heaviness. You might be going through the motions of caring for your newborn while feeling numb, exhausted or strangely disconnected from everything including yourself. This could be signs of postnatal depression (sometimes called postpartum depression). It's more than the tiredness or mood swings that come with adjusting to life with a new baby. It's a

Becoming a parent is one of life's biggest transitions. It is normal to feel some worry, especially in those early weeks when everything feels new & overwhelming. But for some parents, the worry doesn't settle, it grows, becomes constant, & starts to take over. This is what we call postnatal anxiety (also known as postpartum anxiety). It is more than the everyday concerns of new parenthood. It's a persistent, often overwhelming sense of worry, fear, or dread that can affect y

If you're reading this, I imagine there is a good chance there was something about your birth experience that hasn't sat right with you. Maybe you've felt shaken, confused or overwhelmed since giving birth. Maybe any time you're asked about your birth experience you panic, shut down or want to cry. Maybe you've been told "you & your baby are healthy nothing else matters" & yet this doesn't really soothe what you're feeling. I want to state this at the outset: your experience

The transition into parenthood can be one of the most meaningful & life-changing experiences a person goes through. Alongside joy, connection, & hope, it can also bring intense feelings of vulnerability, emotional overwhelm & isolation which are often unexpected and distressing. Perinatal mental health refers to emotional wellbeing during pregnancy & the first year after birth. This chapter of life can impact anyone; birthing parents, partners, & families. The impacts are oft