What is Perinatal Mental Health?

Perinatal mental health refers to an individuals emotional, psychological, and mental well-being during pregnancy and the postpartum period. It encompasses the mental health experiences and challenges that can arise while trying to conceive, during pregnancy, following childbirth, and throughout the transition into parenthood.

Becoming a parent can bring up experiences and emotions that are difficult to anticipate, especially when you have a history of trauma.

Trauma can intersect with the perinatal experience in many ways, including:

• Loss of control: Pregnancy, medical appointments, childbirth, and changes in your body can bring up feelings of powerlessness or a lack of control.

• Body autonomy and boundaries: Experiences of sexual assault, abuse, or unwanted touch may influence how you experience pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum care.

• Safety and vulnerability: Pregnancy and childbirth can bring up fears about your physical safety, the safety of your baby, or trusting others to care for you.

• Anxiety and hypervigilance: You may find yourself constantly anticipating something going wrong, feeling on edge, or struggling with uncertainty.

• Attachment and relationships: Past experiences with caregivers, family dynamics, or relationship trauma may influence how you think about parenting, bonding, and building a relationship with your child.

• Identity and expectations: You may experience grief, guilt, shame, or fears about repeating family patterns or becoming the kind of parent you did not have.

• Triggers and trauma responses: Experiences during pregnancy, birth, or postpartum may activate fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses, sometimes without an immediately identifiable reason.

I have experience working with individuals who have experienced trauma, including domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and other interpersonal and relational trauma. I understand how trauma can shape your relationship with yourself, your body, your sense of safety, and your relationships with others. During the perinatal period, these experiences may intersect with fears about pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, attachment, boundaries, and the desire to create a different experience for your child.

My approach is collaborative and trauma-informed. Together, we can explore how past experiences may be influencing your current experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum, while also making space for what you are navigating in the present. Therapy is an opportunity to better understand your responses, identify what you need, and develop ways to feel more grounded, supported, and connected to yourself during this transition.

Consent

I focus on supporting clients in reconnecting with their sense of choice and agency. Consent is about noticing what feels like a true “yes,” honoring boundaries, and trusting your right to change your mind. Because consent is ongoing, we’ll focus on regularly checking in with yourself - tuning into your feelings, boundaries, and what you want to participate in.