Perinatal, Postpartum, and Maternal Mental Health

Pregnancy and postpartum aren’t just about having a baby—they fundamentally change you. This transition, called matrescence, reshapes your brain, body, identity, and relationships all at once. It can feel expansive and meaningful—and also disorienting, raw, and destabilizing. Like adolescence, it doesn’t ask for permission before it changes you.

During this time, many parents have thoughts and feelings they weren’t prepared for. You might feel anxious, overwhelmed, disconnected, or unlike yourself. You may have intrusive or unwanted thoughts—about harm, about your baby, about escaping, even about not wanting to be here. You might question whether you’re a good mother, or feel like you’re quietly coming undone while trying to hold everything together.

At the same time, you’re learning your baby, adjusting to a new identity, and often navigating shifts in your relationship or support system. If you’re someone who is used to functioning well, staying composed, or holding a lot together for others, this phase can feel especially unsettling—uncertain, exposing, and impossible to get “right.” You may find yourself stuck in loops of worry, self-doubt, or worst-case scenarios that pull you out of the present and make your world feel smaller.

This isn’t a personal failure. It’s a deeply vulnerable, life-altering transition—and you don’t have to go through it alone.

I work with clients through pregnancy, postpartum adjustment, pregnancy loss, birth trauma, and the ongoing evolution of parenthood. Together, we make sense of what’s happening internally, shift your relationship to difficult thoughts and emotions, and help you feel more steady, clear, and anchored in yourself. You won’t lose your instincts—you’ll learn how to trust them without being overtaken by them, so you can show up for yourself and your baby in a more grounded, sustainable way.

I have successfully help new or new again moms during pregnancy, pregnancy loss (wanted or unwanted), birth trauma, and postpartum adjustment, as well as in parenting through the years. They typically report feeling empowered, whole, clear, and centered while learning how to better navigate reproductive and postpartum difficulties together.

For many, the journey to parenthood doesn’t begin with pregnancy—it begins with longing. In the mind’s eye, in the quiet imagining of a life not yet here. Some people already feel like mothers, even without a living child.

While assisted reproductive technologies (IUI, IVF, egg freezing, surrogacy, and more) have made parenthood possible for many, they often come with a cost that isn’t talked about enough. The process frequently begins with loss—of ease, of expectation, of certainty, of control, of trust in your body, in your timeline, and sometimes in your relationship or sense of self.

Alongside that loss is an added weight. Decisions that others never have to face—like choosing embryos with genetic information, or wondering if you’re “making the right choice”—can feel overwhelming, even existential. For some, it stirs questions around morality, spirituality, or perfectionism. The process itself can be physically and emotionally demanding: injections, procedures, constant appointments, and navigating systems that can feel clinical and impersonal during an incredibly vulnerable time.

For many, life begins to narrow. Months—or years—can revolve around cycles, outcomes, and waiting. It can feel like everything is on hold, with the hope that one day it will all make sense.

During this time, it’s common to experience intense self-criticism, strain in relationships, emotional reactivity, grief, identity disruption, and a reduced capacity to manage stress in other areas of life. You may not recognize yourself in the process.

If this is or has been your experience, you don’t have to carry it alone. I support individuals navigating fertility challenges and the ART process with care, clarity, and depth. Together, we work to steady your internal world, make space for the complexity of your experience, and help you stay connected to yourself—even in the uncertainty.

Whether a pregnancy begins naturally or through assisted reproductive technology (ART), miscarriage is common—affecting roughly one in five pregnancies. And yet, it’s often not spoken about in a way that makes space for the reality of the experience. Many are left alone to process grief, confusion, and meaning without support.

Miscarriage can be experienced as a traumatic loss. The body and mind may respond with shock, intrusive thoughts, emotional numbing, or heightened anxiety. Even when others move on quickly, your system may not.

Neonatal loss and stillbirth carry a different, but equally profound, weight. While these losses may be more visibly acknowledged, much of the experience remains invisible over time. In the immediate aftermath, you may be faced with decisions no one prepares you for—where to recover, whether to see or hold your baby, how to navigate your body, your milk supply, and a reality that no longer matches what your mind and body were preparing for.

There is often so much to hold: grief, trauma, identity shifts, unanswered questions, and the pressure—internal or external—to find a way forward. Much of it is difficult to name, harder to share, and at times unbearable to carry.

I work with individuals navigating miscarriage, stillbirth, and reproductive loss to process both grief and trauma in a way that feels honest and sustainable. This is not about “getting over” what happened. It’s about making space for your experience, finding ways to live alongside the loss, and developing a relationship to it that does not erase you—but allows you to continue forward with care, meaning, and integrity.

On the other side of pregnancy is parenting—a lifelong, evolving relationship that changes as your child grows. There is no static version of “being a parent.” Who you are, who your child is, and what your family needs will continue to shift over time.

How you were parented, your relationship with your caregivers, your own sensitivities and past experiences, and your child’s temperament all come together in ways that shape—and often challenge—your parenting. It’s not just about what you know to do, but how you respond in real time when you’re tired, triggered, uncertain, or stretched beyond capacity.

I work with parents to slow down and make sense of what’s happening beneath the surface—how to interpret behavior, respond to emotions (both your child’s and your own), and build a parenting approach that is grounded, flexible, and aligned with your values. This includes support with boundaries, co-regulation, emotional development, and navigating the tension between instinct, intention, and expectation.

Parenting doesn’t happen in isolation. It impacts—and is impacted by—your identity, your relationship with your partner or co-parent, and the broader context of your life. I support parents navigating shifts in their relationships, differences in parenting styles, and the ongoing renegotiation of roles and connection over time.

I also work with parents facing more complex or painful realities, including a child’s chronic illness, substance use, or mental health challenges, as well as transitions like empty nesting. These experiences can reshape your sense of self and your understanding of what it means to parent.

There is no perfect way to do this. But there are ways to feel more steady, more intentional, and more connected—to your child, your values, and yourself—throughout the process.