Adding a baby or a new child to your family is a very special and life-changing experience. It is a time of great personal growth and shifting of perspectives and values in profound ways. As well, it radically alters the way you may experience your body, your relationships to yourself, and to others. While there can be many moments of joy and pleasure it can also be surprising, isolating and overwhelming. During this transition to motherhood, you may experience a wide range of emotions, from elation to joy to jealousy, anger, guilt, worry and frustration.
As motherhood could be considered the hardest transition that you’ll go through, it important to know that you are not alone in these experiences. Mood changes, which can range from mild baby blues to post partum depression and/or anxiety, are more common than most people think. Whether you are going through some post partum challenges or not, becoming a mother is an identity shift between who you were before and who you expect yourself to be after. You may also miss aspects of your life before baby’s arrival.
Besides all this, there is also a common cultural belief that a mom “should” be all things to everyone and manage everything effortlessly. The truth is that this is unrealistic and causes a lot of stress and pain in trying to achieve it. While babies bring a lot of joy and happiness, many moms feel guilty about their sadness, and end up judging themselves and their parenting skills harshly and may engage in negative self talk. Many moms are reluctant to tell anyone about these feelings and thoughts for fear of being seen as a “failure” or a “bad mom.” Know that it is not just you who sometimes finds being a mom isolating and overwhelming, who feels sad from time to time, or wants a break from baby. We all need help sometimes and if you are experiencing post partum depression or anxiety, early treatment leads to positive results. Laurie has experience with helping moms with post partum depression, so feel free to reach out and contact Laurie for some extra support.
LAURIE CAN HELP YOU FIND WAYS TO:
- Decrease anxiety about your pregnancy and your baby
- Lessen upsetting thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
- Feel less overwhelmed
- Increase confidence in parenting