Adjusting to Parenthood & Postnatal Mental Health 

Becoming a parent is a big deal. It involves changes to pretty much every area of our lives, from our physiology to our free time, our responsibility and relationships, and the changes don’t stop as the child gets older. It’s difficult to really prepare for this transition, which can feel overwhelming and a little disorienting. Old ways of coping may no longer be accessible to us, or they may not work so well any more. It’s also very common to experience feelings of stress, boredom, anger, sadness, and resentment, which can come as an unwelcome shock when we had expected this to be a joyous time, or when people keep asking us whether we are “enjoying every minute”.

Taking care of a new baby can be especially difficult if the birth was traumatic, or if there are other stressors such as feeding difficulties, ill health, social isolation, financial pressures, relationship conflict or a lack of family support, for example. The birth of a baby can also reactivate painful memories from the past, and sometimes these memories and the fears that come with them can be accompanied by feelings of shame or embarrassment, and a worry that others won’t understand how you feel.

As well as the more general challenges associated with becoming a parent, there are a handful of psychological presentations that are especially common around the time of the birth of a baby, including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress. I have extensive experience of providing evidence-based treatments for these distressing conditions, but as a psychologist, I am primarily interested in your individual experiences and what these mean to you, rather than in whether or not you meet the classification criteria for any given diagnosis. Together we can make sense of what is going on for you, and find ways to help you live your new normal the way you want to.

It’s not just the parent who has given birth who can find the transition to parenthood difficult, of course, and I warmly welcome enquiries from fathers and non-birthing parents who may be finding the transition challenging for any reason.

However many weeks, months or years into your parenting journey you are, you are welcome to get in touch to discuss the support that I can offer.