What Perinatal Therapy Actually Looks Like (and How to Know If It’s Right for You)
The journey to parenthood is often painted as a time of pure joy, glowing pregnancies, and blissful bonding with a newborn. But for many, the reality is far more complex. The perinatal period—spanning from pregnancy through the first year after birth—is a profound and often tumultuous transformation. It can bring overwhelming anxiety, relationship strain, identity […]
Why Asking for Help Feels So Hard After Having a Baby
You’re running on three hours of broken sleep. The baby is crying, you haven’t showered, and the thought of figuring out what to eat for dinner feels like a monumental task. Your phone buzzes with a text from a friend: “Let me know if you need anything!” You type back, “We’re doing great, thanks!” and […]
Why New Parents Feel Lonely Even When They’re Not Alone
You’re holding your beautiful new baby, the culmination of months of anticipation. Your partner is nearby, friends are texting congratulations, and family members are eager to visit. You are, by all definitions, not alone. So why do you feel an ache of profound loneliness? Why does it feel like you’re on a deserted island in […]
How Parenthood Can Strain Even Strong Relationships—and What Helps
The arrival of a baby is often imagined as the joyful culmination of a couple’s love story. It’s a new chapter, filled with adorable firsts and heartwarming moments. While this is certainly part of the picture, it’s not the whole story. The transition to parenthood is also one of the most significant stressors a relationship […]
What It Means to ‘Reparent Yourself’ During the Perinatal Period
The journey into parenthood is often described as a time of immense joy and transformation. But for many, it’s also a period that surfaces old wounds, deep-seated insecurities, and challenging family patterns. As you prepare to welcome a new life, you might find yourself revisiting your own childhood in unexpected ways. The perinatal period—the time […]
Breaking Intergenerational Patterns Doesn’t Mean Being a Perfect Parent
You decided it would be different with you. You looked back at your own childhood and made a quiet, fierce promise to yourself and your future children: The buck stops here. The yelling, the emotional distance, the anxiety, the criticism—whatever painful patterns were passed down to you, you are determined not to pass them on. […]
Parenting Triggers Explained: When Your Child Activates Your Inner Child
You love your child more than anything. You are committed to being a patient, gentle, and responsive parent. Yet, some days, you find yourself reacting in ways that scare and confuse you. Your toddler’s defiant “NO!” sends a surge of white-hot rage through your body.# Parenting Triggers Explained: When Your Child Activates Your Inner Child […]
Why Becoming a Parent Can Trigger Memories You Thought You’d Healed
You thought you had moved on. The difficult experiences from your childhood or past felt distant, like scenes from a movie about someone else’s life. You’d done the work, or maybe enough time had passed that the memories no longer had a sting. You felt ready, even excited, to build your own family, to create […]
When Medical Interventions Leave Emotional Scars
A medical procedure is meant to heal the body. Whether it’s a life-saving surgery, a difficult birth, or an essential treatment, we trust that these interventions are for our good. But what happens when the experience itself leaves a wound? Not a physical one that can be stitched and bandaged, but an emotional scar that […]
I Should Be Grateful… So Why Am I Still Struggling After Birth?
You held your breath for this moment. Through pregnancy, planning, and labor, you pictured finally holding your baby. Everyone tells you this should be the happiest time of your life. You see the curated photos online of smiling mothers and peaceful newborns, and a quiet, insistent voice in your head whispers, “I should be grateful.” […]