Pregnancy can take a toll on mental health. The hormones are going crazy, your body is changing, your physical abilities are impacted, you are not sleeping well, you worry about this transition, you are struggling to keep up with your life, job, other kids, partner. If only you could just lay on the couch and eat popcorn all day while binging all the reality TV! Come to therapy and you can curl up under a blanket in my office while I make you tea and you can eat all my candies. Let’s talk about the anxiety and worry coming up for you, feeling like you don’t want to get out of bed, why you might be crying all the time, the disappointment with baby’s gender, struggling to connect with your partner, worry about being a bad parent, the fact that you are tired, eating so much, struggling with the physical body changes, or whatever else you need to vent about in pregnancy!

I wish that we cared more about the mental health involved with birth in classes to educate you about the labour part. So this is it, come to me and I will give you SOOO much information that is missing from most classes that prep you for birth and babies. We might talk about the way in which past trauma can come up for you and impact your birth or how perinatal trauma can show up later on. I will educate you on what to have in place that could create perinatal trauma prevention or help you recognize the signs after. Learn more about perinatal trauma and EMDR therapy that can be incredibly effective for it here. We can talk about what you might need to cope with the anxiety and worry during labour and delivery and we can equip you with tools to help you stay grounded and present. We can set you up with a plan to manage potential postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression that might already be showing up in pregnancy. I am trained in providing information and eduction about perinatal pharmaceuticals that we can talk with your medical professional about it if needed.

Everyone is caring about the baby in postpartum, but let’s figure out how to care for YOU! I can equip you with the right resources in Calgary or where you live so that you can know who to access when you need it. We will create a plan that you will also go through with your partner so that you can feel like you have a “go to” sheet to consult when you’re in the thick of it. We can talk about how to cope without a village, what to plan for with sleep, how to navigate when the medical system tells you what you “should do” and how best to wade through the weeds to protect your mental health. I am your biggest cheerleader who will advocate for you. I know that the best thing for your baby is what is best for you. We can go over all the signs to look for with perinatal mental health so that you get the right support when you need it. Let’s take as much worry out of the equation as we can by planning ahead and making you feel like you have some control.