Postpartum Therapy

Postpartum Therapy.

We support women navigating the intense rollercoaster of changes that postpartum brings. We can help you make sense of the wide range of emotions you might be facing from sadness or anxiety to rage or grief. Therapy can help you integrate this new phase of life so that you navigate it in a way that feels aligned with you and your values.

We are often unprepared for how drastically different we feel after having a baby. We expect we’ll be ourselves, just with a baby. In reality, postpartum affects your brain, body, identity, emotions, and relationships. We are profoundly changed by pregnancy and postpartum, and it can take effort to find our balance again.

At Asha Parent Therapy, we provide a calm and compassionate space for you to untangle what can feel like a mess of new feelings, thoughts, and experiences. We work with you to name what’s coming up, equip you with education and theories that help you understand what’s happening inside your body and brain, and support you in navigating this new chapter with intention and confidence.

Common topics in postpartum therapy

Mood changes

the intense hormonal and lifestyle changes can leave us dealing with anxiety, sadness or depression, or rage

Birth and feeding trauma

giving birth and navigating feeding a newborn can be unexpectedly complex, painful, and stressful journeys

Relationship and co-parenting challenges

sometimes the relationships we expected to rely on in early parenthood feel tense and conflict-ridden

Guilt and shame

uncomfortable feelings about early parenthood, your child, or your partner can be unexpected and be a source of shame

Loss of identity

lots of women find it hard to recognise themselves through all the changes to their lives, bodies, and brains

Overwhelm

navigating the needs of a newborn while recovering from birth can leave us feeling fraught and unable to care for ourselves

Inner child trauma

becoming a parent can bring up painful memories and feelings from your own experience of being parented

Not Sure If We Can Help ?

Let’s explore whether postpartum therapy can help.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is postpartum therapy only for first-time moms?

Postpartum therapy is for anyone in the postpartum phase, no matter how many times you’ve been through it before. Each postpartum phase has an impact on our bodies and brains, and each brings a wave of change for us to surf.

I don’t have a diagnosis of a postpartum mood disorder. Can therapy still help?

You don’t need to have a diagnosis like Postpartum Anxiety Disorder to seek postpartum therapy. If you’re noticing that the days (and nights!) feel hard because your head and heart are flooded with complex overwhelming thoughts and feelings, psychotherapy can help.

I do have a postpartum mood diagnosis and my doctor has already prescribed me medication. Should I bother with therapy?

There is research that shows medication works better with talk therapy. So even if you’ve started treating your symptoms with a prescribed medication, psychotherapy is still a helpful process. Medication can help you to feel better, but psychotherapy will allow you to address the thoughts and feelings that did come up so you can resolve and integrate them.

I’ve never done therapy before. What can I expect?

Psychotherapy is a place to talk about the thoughts and feelings that feel overwhelming, unexpected, or out of keeping with our values. We help clients to address the behaviours and patterns that feel beyond their control.

You can expect a warm, compassionate environment where your therapist will learn about the challenge you’re facing as well as the bigger picture story of you and your life. We’ll talk through what ‘success’ would look like for you at the end of this process. And then, through ongoing therapeutic conversation, we’ll work on untangling and resolving your current experience until that goal is your reality.