Why I have Chosen Perinatal Mental Health

Many therapists choose to specialize in some sort of therapy that they are passionate about. I have chosen to specialize in perinatal mental health. A lot of people haven't heard the term perinatal. They don't know that there is such a thing. But a lot of people know what natal means. Natal is the word for birth or born. So a neonatal is a newborn.

I have chosen this field of therapy for so many reasons, but first is because of my own journey as a mom.

My Postpartum Journey

My son was such a breeze. He has been a good kid even when he was a baby into his teenage years. I was in for a surprise when I had my daughter nearly 15 years later. Not only was it brand new to having a daughter, but she also also a lot different. I say that not to necessarily compare, but more to give you a picture of where things changed for me.

When I had my daughter in 2022, I had a great deal of anxiety from the moment we left the hospital. I thought to myself, "I could do this. I've done it before and my son is a good kid." I had been around babies all my life as well. But nothing could have prepared me for the experience of postpartum OCD, anxiety, and depression.

Her first couple of months of life were so hard. She was not a good sleeper. She had her days and nights mixed up. We were up most of the night and didn't sleep that great for naps during the day either. I was exhausted. I'm sure she was too. I was trying to breastfeed, but that wasn't easy either. It was hard!!!! It was stressful! I wasn't producing enough even with help from different recipes, power pumping and doing all the other things to help me produce milk. Her father is such a good support and so were my parents, but I was still struggling to be the mom she needed me to be.

Anxieties Set In

Then came the anxieties. I had horrific dreams about something happening to my son. He was in his freshman year of high school and was traveling a lot with the football team. I was fearful of all the people I loved getting hurt in a car accident. It was an awful experience. At my 6 week check up I asked my doctor about my anxiety, and all I got was "okay, well I can give you some medication for it," and that was the end of the conversation. I didn't get any screenings for anxiety or depression, no referrals for therapy (I already had a therapist, but the point was that this doctor did nothing for my mental health), nothing. I ended up dealing with postpartum OCD, anxiety, and depression for over 2 years.

It was because of this experience that I decided I needed to find something to do in order to help other moms not feel the way that I did for so long. Through a lot of research, I learned about perinatal mental health. When I read about it, I knew that I had to go through with this training. By the end of this year, I will be the certified in perinatal mental health.

Why I'm Passionate About Perinatal Mental Health

Research has proven that 1 in 5 mothers and 1 in 10 fathers end up having anxiety in some way shape or form in the postpartum period. That is a lot of people. This is why I am so passionate about mothers and babies and giving them the support that they deserve. I don't want to see other women go through what I went to. At the same time, I knew I could do something about this because I have been blessed with having my education in being a mental health counselor even before having my daughter. I can't let other women suffer and go through this alone if I can help it. This is why I've chosen to specialize in working with moms who are suffering with pregnancy or postpartum mental health issues.

Since this is Perinatal Mental Health Month, I wanted to share with you why you see these blogs and posts on social media. It needs to be talked about. So this is my story. I hope this helps having a more relatable person behind the blog posts and all the content that's on my website. I would love to hear from you and what your experience has been during pregnancy and postpartum.