Postnatal Depression

When someone has a baby, we often assume that they’re in seventh heaven! This is the culmination of years of thinking about becoming a parent and welcoming a baby into their life. And for many people, this is just what it’s like – for most of the time.

However, for others, making the transition to parenthood is more difficult. Some struggle with low mood, irritability and begin to wonder if they did the right thing having a baby at all. This is often accompanied by feelings of guilt: how could I think that when I have a beautiful baby?! If they can’t shake off those negative thoughts and their sleep begins to be affected, they may have depression. It is worth emphasising that both mothers and fathers can develop depression following the birth of a baby – it isn’t a gendered condition.

Some people will consult their GP and seek anti-depressants to help them manage whilst others prefer face to face counselling or therapy. With my extensive knowledge of postnatal depression and experience of working with parents in the early months after their baby is born, I can offer you the space and time to talk through any difficult feelings you’re having. My training as a psychotherapist enables me to create a setting where you feel able to open up about your worries without feeling judged or ashamed of your thoughts and emotions. Together we can work to help you understand the roots of your low mood or depression and help you on the path to recovery.

Seeking help is not a sign of weakness, it simply means you’re human and finding aspects of parenthood hard. That’s really normal! If you’d like to speak to someone outside your usual circle of family and friends, give me a call and we can arrange a time to talk.