Specialist Mental Health Support for Pregnancy, Birth and Parenthood
Are you sick and tired rather than overjoyed? Have physical sickness, aches and struggles turned pregnancy into a miserable experience?
Or maybe your birth experience was difficult and it’s now hard to relax into life as a new parent. Or perhaps depression or anxiety is stopping you from bonding with your baby or enjoying parenthood?
If you are struggling in pregnancy or after birth you are certainly not alone. Around 1 in 5 people experience mental health problems as they become parents (and those are just the people who talk about it).
The physical and emotional stress of pregnancy and birth can leave us vulnerable to low mood, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health struggles. Unfortunately, some unhelpful images of new parents in the media (and some smug friends) can leave you feeling like there is something “wrong” with you if you aren’t brimming with joy every day.
That is just not real.
The truth is most parents struggle at some point and some of us have more to deal with than others.
We are here to support you whether you are pregnant, dealing with the consequences of a difficult birth or having a hard time adjusting to parenthood.
Are you sick and tired rather than overjoyed? Have physical sickness, aches and struggles turned pregnancy into a miserable experience?
Or maybe your birth experience was difficult and it’s now hard to relax into life as a new parent. Or perhaps depression or anxiety is stopping you from bonding with your baby or enjoying parenthood?
If you are struggling in pregnancy or after birth you are certainly not alone. Around 1 in 5 people experience mental health problems in pregnancy or after birth (and those are just the people who talk about it)
The physical and emotional stress of pregnancy and birth can leave us vulnerable to low mood, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health struggles. Unfortunately, some unhelpful images of new parents in the media (and some smug friends) can leave you feeling like there is something “wrong” with you if you aren’t brimming with joy every day.
That is just not real.
The truth is most parents struggle at some point and some of us have more to deal with than others.
We are here to support you whether you are pregnant, dealing with the consequences of a difficult birth or having a hard time adjusting to parenthood.
We can support you in these ways:
Psychological therapy
Psychological therapy can help with pre or post natal depression, recovery from birth trauma, anxiety or dealing with physical symptoms like severe pregnancy sickness.
Birth preparation
If you have been through a previous traumatic birth or are dealing with mental health struggles it can be hard to prepare for your birth. Our specialist birth prep courses can help you feel calm, empowered and excited about your birth.
Team training
We offer specialist training for organisations who wish to support their employees through pregnancy and parenthood.
You might have been told that the way you are feeling is “normal” or “just part” of pregnancy and parenthood. But it doesn’t have to be. I use my professional skills as a Clinical Psychologist and lived experience to support you through this difficult time. You can come out of this as the parent you want to be.
I (Rosie) created this service because in 2016 I felt like the only person on the planet who had ever loathed pregnancy. I had crushing nausea for the whole nine months of my first pregnancy. Overnight I lost my work, my social life and my only coping mechanism, running. On top of that, despite being an NHS Clinical Psychologist, professional help was difficult to find. I felt disbelieved, guilty, depressed and isolated.
These days I am Mum to three and, although the sickness returned each time, I found ways of managing that made it less debilitating emotionally and physically. Unfortunately, as I talk to other parents at baby groups and the school gates I realise that my experience wasn’t unusual. Whether it is sickness, a difficult birth, depression, anxiety or something else so many of us struggle in silence, ashamed that we are not “doing it right.”
My practice was born from my belief that there should be no shame about struggling with your mental health and parenthood and my knowledge that there are evidence-based therapies that can help.
Issues we can address
Depression/low mood
Birth trauma (or other trauma)
Sleep difficulties
Severe pregnancy sickness
Anxiety
Difficulties bonding or enjoying your children
I know it might feel like things will never get better right now. I have been there. The good news is there are evidence-based therapies available that can help you move through this difficult time in your life and be the parent you want to be. Find out more about the therapy we offer here.