Therapy for Moms

Postpartum Depression and Anxiety Counseling in Houston, Texas 77006

Houston Center for Valued Living provides counseling for both new and “experienced” mothers. We provide a judgement free zone because motherhood unfortunately comes with a lot of unsolicited opinions and judgments, and that’s the last thing moms need more of! Click below to navigate to the area most relevant for you:

Pregnant and experiencing depression or anxiety

Struggling with postpartum depression

Overwhelmed with postpartum anxiety or worry

Stressed out mom of a toddler or older child

Counseling for Depression/Anxiety During Pregnancy

Have you heard this before –> Pregnancy is a time of unimaginable bliss and happiness. You feel beautiful and at peace. 

This could not be further from the truth for many women. Sure, some women enjoy pregnancy but very few women enjoy all of it. For many, pregnancy can be a time of increased anxiety or depression. There is a lot of attention going to postpartum support, but we’re often forgetting that stress, sadness, anger, irritability, and self-loathing can begin long before you have a baby. 

• Some pregnancies are unplanned and/or unwanted
• Some pregnancies occur after years of infertility
• Some pregnancies occur after pregnancy loss or death of a child
• Some pregnancies occur after a previous traumatic birth 

There is a myth that being pregnant will cure anxiety, depression, relationship problems, or body image concerns. And this is nothing but a MYTH!  

Pregnancy can heighten these concerns. If you worried prior to becoming pregnant, you may find yourself worrying more! Or, if you disliked your body prior to pregnancy, now you’re in the midst of watching it change in ways that you cannot control and in ways that you may not like. 

In addition, pregnancy brings a long list of uncomfortable, and at times, down right debilitating physical symptoms such as nausea, fatigue, heartburn, or pain. Some women are restricted to what foods they can eat, what activities they can participate in, or may even be required to be on bed-rest. Relationships with a spouse or partner may become strained. Some women begin to experience excessive worry or unwanted (intrusive) thoughts about something bad happening.

Pregnant woman experience surges in various hormones. There is nothing that is blissful or easy about this. Yet, the myth continues and so we, as a society, look perplexed when someone tells us that they aren’t happy being pregnant. 

Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s okay to feel this way. You’re not alone. And, if how you are feeling is becoming overwhelming, there’s something you can do about it. 

Pregnancy is a time to address these concerns as depression/anxiety prior to giving birth is a risk factor for developing postpartum depression/anxiety. 

Treatment for Postpartum Depression, Anxiety, and OCD 

If becoming a mom knocked you off your feet, then you’re in the right place. You can read, prep, and prepare for motherhood, but you just don’t know, until you know. The first year after birth is full of sleepless nights, conflicts with your partner, body image insecurity, self-questioning if you’re cut out for this job, frantic Google searches, feelings of inadequacy, learning a new life balance, anxiety, spit up, baby poop, tears, and challenges you never knew you would face.

In addition to this, the first year can also be full of laughter, discovery, snuggles, connection, and more love than you think your heart can handle.

Many moms have this expectation that when their baby is born, they will immediately fall head over heels in love with this new little creature. Some moms do feel this instant connection, and some moms do not feel this instant connection.

After all, in no other point in life will you go through major biological trauma (child birth), be totally vulnerable, exhausted, (and possibly out of it), and then be handed a tiny new baby that you’re now 100% responsible for figuring out (who, by the way, does not come with a personal instruction manual). Following this, you experience the most epic of all hormone crashes. To top it all off, you’re living in a society full of Pinterest perfectionism and fantastically perfect Facebook lives. What could possibly go wrong with your mental health?

Is this Normal?

While there is a normal adjustment period to motherhood, there are some experiences that you don’t have to struggle through alone. Postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety are extremely common, yet so many mothers still don’t get the help they need. 10-20% of mothers will develop postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety in the first year after birth.

If you feel like you’re falling apart or unable to get out of the “muck”, having significant problems with anxious thoughts, experiencing difficulty connecting with your baby, or are overall struggling to adjust to motherhood, counseling can help. Continue reading below to find out more about postpartum depression, anxiety, and OCD.

What is Postpartum Depression?

Postpartum depression is depression that develops within the first year after giving birth. The symptoms are similar to traditional depression, but may have some differences. One of the main differences is that postpartum depression often involves having anxiety too. Moms with postpartum depression may also experience thoughts about something bad happening to their baby and consequently, feel very upset about it.

What are the symptoms of postpartum depression?

There are many symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD) and not every mom will have every symptom. Below are some of the more common symptoms of PPD:

• Feelings of anger or irritability
• Not connecting with your baby
• Feeling like you don’t care about your baby
• Not feeling hungry
• Difficulty falling or staying asleep even when your baby is sleeping
• Crying and sadness
• Feelings of guilt, shame or hopelessness
• You don’t feel like doing anything
• Possible thoughts of harming the baby or yourself

What is Postpartum Anxiety?

One out of 10 women will experience anxiety during the first year after having a baby. Anxiety can involves overwhelming feelings of worry, fear, or dread. This anxiety can make it difficult for you to relax and enjoy being a mom. You might know that other people tell you that “you worry too much” or “you’re too uptight” but you struggle with how to be any different.

What are the symptoms of postpartum anxiety?

• Constant worry
• Feeling that something bad is going to happen
• Racing thoughts or thoughts that you feel like you can’t stop
• Changes in your appetite (not feeling hungry or the opposite, eating all the time)
• Difficulty falling or staying asleep
• Inability to sit still
• Physical symptoms like dizziness, hot flashes, and nausea

What is Postpartum OCD?

One out of 6 women will experience symptoms of postpartum OCD, but it is rarely talked about. Postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is when the mother has unwanted, intrusive thoughts, often of harm coming to the baby. This can include thoughts of dropping the baby, smothering the baby, the baby getting sick, accidentally molesting the baby, or some other form of harm coming to the baby. Many people confuse this with postpartum psychosis, but this is vastly different.

When someone has postpartum OCD, they become distressed by their thoughts, horrified by their thoughts, and feel guilt over their thoughts. They will make every effort to avoid the thought or the feared outcome. Mothers with OCD may repeatedly check on the baby, avoid holding the baby, avoid changing the baby’s diaper, avoid giving the baby a bath, or various other behaviors. 

What are the symptoms of postpartum OCD?

• Unwanted distressing thoughts that you can’t stop (usually of harm coming to the baby either accidentally or thoughts thoughts about harming the baby when you don’t want to) 
• Guilt and shame over having these thoughts
• Feeling horror over these thoughts
• Feeling on guard / on high alert
• Repeating behaviors to minimize harm or avoid triggers (checking constantly, cleaning, avoiding places) 

For example, a mother might have intrusive thoughts about accidentally sexually abusing her infant. She may begin to fear that these thoughts will become reality and therefor will refuse to change her baby’s diaper or be around her baby when they are unclothed. She may only change the baby or bathe the baby if someone else is around to “watch” and “make sure” that she doesn’t engage in the feared action.

Fortunately, research shows that mothers with OCD pose no increased risk at harming their babies. In fact, they are the last ones to bring harm to their babies because they are so distressed by even the thought of it!  

What is the Treatment for Postpartum Depression, Anxiety, and OCD?

The most important aspect of treatment is getting the mother support. Adjusting to motherhood is hard enough, and it can be debilitating when also dealing with depression, anxiety, or OCD. 

With support comes making sure mothers are getting adequate care including at least 5 hours of sleep per night, adequate nutrition, light exercise, and leisure activities. This may seem like a tall order in the midst of the “newborn hurricane.”

In addition to support, treatments include:

• cognitive-behavioral therapy
• compassion-focused therapy
• mindfulness 
• exposure and response prevention (for OCD)

Many mothers feel guilty for having to take time to pursue counseling or for self-care. We understand this. In the world of mothering, there’s always a stick laying around for you to pick up and beat yourself with. There are no shortage of ways you can “fail” as a mother, but counseling can help you see that your “failings” may not actually be failures and that you are worth attention. Counseling can help us see past what may seem like a large dark wall in our path, and gain perspective that can help pull you out of the muck. 

Counseling for Stressed Moms

So you can put a baby carrier in a shopping cart, eat a meal in 30 seconds, and pick up most items on the ground with your toes. But are you burning the candle at both ends?  Feel like you’re never enough? Full of mom-guilt and self-criticism? You’re not alone.

If your inner voice is 10 times harder on yourself than you would be toward anyone else, you’re not alone. Countless women identify with the struggle to “do all” and “be all.” They feel judged for every decision they make and responsible/guilty for anything that doesn’t go as planned.

Maybe motherhood doesn’t seem to be all you thought it would be. You feel unhappy, and then you feel guilty or ashamed because you feel unhappy!  Double whammy.

What does counseling for moms look like?

No woman is the same, and each session is tailored to your unique needs. Most importantly, you will have a safe place to be heard. Below are some common concerns that many women work on in counseling:

• getting support and decreasing isolation
• reducing stress
• developing healthy boundaries
• increasing satisfaction with work/life balance
• quieting inner critic and negative self talk
• developing greater self-compassion and self-kindness
• engaging more fully in life
• increasing self-care
• developing coping strategies for mom guilt, burn out, and fatigue

Begin Counseling at Houston Center for Valued Living

Momming can be one of the most challenging and rewarding roles. The days are long but the years are short. We want to help you make the most of them! Our compassionate and experienced therapists can help you return to feeling like you again. Parenting can be a wonderful experience! Contact us today or schedule an appointment online now.

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