Postpartum Therapy in San Diego

Since giving birth, have you been experiencing troubling or intrusive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors? Has constant worry, anxiety, fear, and guilt cast a shadow over what should be a joyous time in your life? Would you benefit from working with a postpartum therapist who could help you make sense of your experience and offer effective treatment for anxiety, depression, or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

Although you may have anticipated that having a new baby would be challenging, maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed by intrusive thoughts that leave you feeling anxious and fearful. Perhaps you worry excessively about harming your baby in some way, causing you to doubt your ability to take care of them properly. 

Worrying about your baby’s well-being could cause you to stay awake watching the monitor, avoid interacting with others for fear the baby could get sick, or adhere to strict routines to ensure their safety. If you perceive the outside world as dangerous, you might avoid leaving home or be reluctant to let anyone else hold or care for your baby. Worse yet, you might not trust yourself to be alone with them or need constant assurance from others that everything is okay.

The symptoms of anxiety, depression, or OCD may be exacerbated if you’re not getting enough sleep or your diet and self-care regime have suffered since giving birth. A sense of guilt may permeate your mood as you worry about being a bad mom.

As much as you would like to enjoy this special time in your life rather than be continually anxious and scared that something terrible will happen, you may feel stuck. The good news is that Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs)—such as OCD—are responsive to treatment. Not only can postpartum therapy normalize your experience, it can provide you with the tools you need to handle being a new mom with self-compassion and confidence.

It is estimated that PMADs affect approximately one in five women. Postpartum Support International (PSI) states, “While many parents experience some mild mood changes during or after the birth of a child, 15 to 20 percent of women experience more significant symptoms of depression or anxiety.” Research shows that women who are pregnant or have recently given birth have an increased risk of developing OCD symptoms. If they already have OCD, the obsessions and compulsions may worsen during the perinatal period.

Although what causes PMADs remains unclear, it appears to be a combination of genetic, physiological, and social factors. Studies have also related increased depression to sleep deprivation, a common dilemma for most new parents. Regardless of their origin, PMADs make caring for a baby more challenging than it already is.

As new mothers, we often feel like we have a lot to live up to. The social messaging we receive before giving birth convinces us that we should be able to do it all seamlessly—have our bodies bounce back unscathed, keep an immaculately clean house, and maintain a perfect relationship with our partner, all the while caring for a perpetually happy baby.

Needless to say, reality is often radically different than this ideal. However, with these expectations floating around in our heads, we often believe we’re falling short. Instead of showing ourselves the self-compassion we deserve, we may feel guilty for not being perfect or ashamed to admit we don’t enjoy every moment with our baby.

If you suspect you may have postpartum depression, anxiety, or OCD, therapy can help. Receiving treatment can help relieve your symptoms so you feel more like yourself again.

The treatments we generally utilize for postpartum anxiety disorder and OCD are Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mindfulness skills. ERP allows you to accept the intrusive thoughts without shame and gradually decrease the resulting behaviors you may feel compelled to do. ACT helps normalize these thoughts rather than trying to avoid or ignore them. Additionally, ACT will identify your values so you can live in closer alignment with them. With the added benefit of mindfulness skills, you will develop helpful coping skills to soothe anxiety in both your mind and body.

Having worked with many postpartum mothers over the years, we have witnessed their successful recoveries and want to help you do the same. By lifting the fear and worry away, postpartum therapy allows you to savor the joy of being a mother.

The perinatal period—before and after pregnancy—can be especially challenging. Not only are the physical and psychological adjustments your body will undergo intense, but on the other side of this metamorphosis, you have a newborn who is 100 percent reliant on you. The semblance of “normal” life is exchanged for sleepless nights and days where you feel lucky to take a shower or have a sit-down meal. But if you’re also struggling with a mood disorder, it can make this already demanding time especially difficult to navigate.

As a mother myself, I can empathize with the struggles you are facing. And as a therapist who specializes in postpartum mood disorders such as OCD, I can help you learn effective tools and skills to manage your symptoms. If you have tried talk therapy before and didn’t find it helpful, I encourage you to try again. By utilizing such evidence-based modalities as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), you can alleviate the intrusive thoughts that get in the way of enjoying parenthood. [4]