THERAPY FOR PREGNANCY & POSTPARTUM IN OAKLAND & ACROSS CA & FL

You don’t have to love every moment to be a great mom.

It could be your first baby or your third — pregnancy and postpartum are just hard.

Nothing feels easy. In fact, it’s so much harder than you thought. 

It’s easy to talk about the joy and bliss that comes with having a child. There are baby showers, bump pictures, and gender reveals, all dedicated to the incredible 9 months of growing your baby. People around you talk about the euphoric feeling of meeting their baby and the instant connection they felt. 

Maybe you know friends or family who “bounced back” within weeks and are feeling amazing as they tote their newborn alongside every errand. Or others who have loved how natural breastfeeding felt and how their baby learned so quickly. But what if your experience just doesn’t feel that way?

  • These 9 months are inching along so slowly and you feel guilty for struggling with how much your body is changing. Thoughts of inadequacy and stress consume your day-to-day life and you wonder if you can be the mom you always wanted.

  • Every part of you hurts. There is a whole new meaning to blood, sweat, and tears. You keep hearing things like “Savor it! You’ll miss these moments one day…” but it’s hard to imagine you’ll ever want to feel like this again. It’s overwhelming and discouraging as you try to make the most of this “precious” time when you’re exhausted, your baby isn’t eating right, and your body feels foreign.

It’s like you don’t even know yourself anymore.

I’m here to tell you that your feelings are valid and they do matter. 

Going through the motherhood journey is one of the most vulnerable experiences out there and it’s okay to feel overwhelmed, angry, or helpless.

As women, one of the first things we do when things get tough is convince ourselves what we’re feeling doesn’t matter or isn’t “that bad.”

MY APPROACH

Being a mother is part of who you are, not everything you are.

With over 20 years of experience in pregnancy and postpartum care, along with a special certification in perinatal mental health and experience as a mother myself, you can trust you're in good hands here. I believe in therapy that’s tailored specifically to you, and when it comes to pregnancy and postpartum, everyone’s experience is unique.

To begin, I’ll invite you to share your experiences and the reasons you’re seeking support. With this open dialogue, you can feel at ease, knowing I’m not here to judge the kind of mother you are—I’m here to help you be the best you can be for you and your child. Together, we will identify the specific areas where you're struggling, including any anxiety, depression or OCD. We’ll look at things through a holistic lens that considers all the different aspects, internal and external, that are impacting you.

It takes time to learn how to balance motherhood and it’s okay to not have everything figured out at once. 

As we continue, you’ll learn how to cultivate more calm in your daily life, increase your confidence as a mother, and remind yourself of who you are outside of just “Mom.” I’ll draw upon a variety of methods, including traditional talk therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), ACT, and Brainspotting. All the therapy I provide is trauma-informed, always honoring your unique experiences and factoring them into your care. I’m also able to assess your needs and refer you for a medication evaluation if that is appropriate. 

No one is the perfect mother. All you need to be is theirs.

It’s normal to feel overwhelmed on this road of motherhood, but therapy can help you find joy in the good moments and learn how to ride along with the bad ones. You can and deserve to feel better than just “surviving.”

Therapy for pregnancy & postpartum can help you…

  • Gain more confidence in yourself & your role as a mother

  • Feel like yourself again

  • Reduce shame & find validation for all your feelings

  • Strengthen the bond between you & your baby

  • Let go of things that don’t matter & prioritize what’s most important

  • Cultivate self-love and body acceptance

  • Overcome depression & anxiety

take care of yourself

Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish, it’s crucial.

Questions?

FAQs

  • It's important to seek support as soon as you notice any signs of distress or difficulty adjusting to pregnancy, postpartum, or parenthood. This might include persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, anger, irritability, difficulty bonding with your baby, changes in sleep or appetite, or strained relationships with your partner or loved ones.

  • Pregnancy and postpartum therapy can address a wide range of issues and feelings you may be experiencing. This can include prenatal anxiety and depression, birth trauma, postpartum depression and anxiety, grief and loss related to pregnancy, changes in identity and self-esteem, relationship conflicts, parenting stress, and adjustment to your new role and responsibilities.

  • You’re not alone. Difficulties with breastfeeding or bonding with your baby are very common and I’m here to provide support, education, and guidance to help you navigate these challenges and develop strategies to navigate feeding your baby and strengthen your connection.

  • Yes. It can be difficult and triggering to discuss or think about birth because of what you’ve gone through. I aim to provide you with a compassionate space to explore your emotions, help you find healing from the pain, and potentially help you prepare for another birth.

  • Yes, I can also help women struggling with ADHD, substance abuse, returning to work, perimenopause, or menopause.