COVID-19 is Making Postpartum Depression and Anxiety Worse

Postpartum mental health issues are fueled not only by the hormonal turmoil that women experience but also by the emotional and practical challenges of keeping a vulnerable new human alive while operating on very, very little sleep. Having a baby during a pandemic is harder. Even if everyone in the family is healthy, it’s harder. Even if the family’s financial situation has not been damaged by layoffs, it’s harder. It takes all of the challenges of parenting a newborn — the nerves, the stress, the at-times profound loneliness — and amplifies them.

Maternal Mental HealthLibby MarlerAugust 3, 2020The Counseling CollectiveCOVID-19, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, motherhood, mom life, infant loss, anxiety, anxiety disorder, anxiety treatment, prenatal depression, depression treatment Comment

The Lonely Terror of Postpartum Anxiety

But too often, what gets shrugged off as “new mom worry” feels crippling to the woman experiencing it. To a new mother with postpartum anxiety, her whole world can begin to feel like a battlefield.

Maternal Mental HealthLibby MarlerMarch 31, 2020The Counseling Collective Fort Worthpostpartum anxiety, postpartum depression, postpartum, anxiety, anxiety treatmentComment

Post-Adoption Depression: Side Effects of a Happy Event

Although it's not as well documented as postpartum depression, post-adoption depression syndrome (PADS) is not uncommon: In a 2012 study from Purdue University, between 18 and 26 percent of adoptive mothers (depending on the screening scale) reported depressive symptoms within the first year of bringing home a new baby or child. (Rates for the small number of adoptive fathers also surveyed were similar.)

Maternal Mental Health, ParentingLibby MarlerFebruary 18, 2020The Counseling Collectiveparenting, maternal mental health, motherhood, mom life, new mom, transition to motherhoodComment

10 Myths about the Mental Health of New Moms

You know the saying, “You can never have too much of a good thing?” Yeah, I’m not a fan of that one, because too much of pretty much anything isn’t good. And as a new or expectant mom, this is particularly true when it comes to information. And while that’s great for many things, it can also make it very difficult to separate the good information from the bad. And when bad information circulates without correction, some potentially harmful myths can seem to turn into facts.

Maternal Mental HealthLibby MarlerFebruary 4, 2020The Counseling Collectivematernal mental health, motherhood, transition to motherhood, counseling for mothers Comment

What It Feels Like to Have Postpartum Depression

True stories of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders show how these common conditions can feel different than you expect.

Maternal Mental HealthLibby MarlerJanuary 30, 2020The Counseling Collectivepostpartum depression, transition to motherhood, counseling for mothersComment

How Can I Help My Friend Struggling with Infertility

What do I say to a friend going through infertility struggles? As a friend, I want to be there for her, but I don’t want to overstep. How can I offer to help without meddling in her business? And what can I actually offer to do for her during this time?

Maternal Mental HealthLibby MarlerJanuary 21, 2020The Counseling Collectiveinfertility, pregnancy, infant loss, perinatal mental health Comments

Going to Therapy Saved My Motherhood

A year ago, I decided to seek help from a therapist. I never thought about therapy before. I never thought I needed it. I had feelings buried deep inside me at the pit of my core for years that I never talked about, but that's where they lived, and I was okay with that—or so I thought.

Maternal Mental HealthLibby MarlerDecember 11, 2019The Counseling Collective Fort Worthmaternal mental health, motherhood, transition to motherhood, postpartum anxiety, postpartum depression, counseling for mothers, anxiety treatmentComment

Reducing Your Risk for Postpartum Depression and Anxiety

There are a variety of effected and well researched counseling treatments and interventions that have been shown to reduce the risk of postpartum depression and anxiety. Many of these treatments involve providing mothers with practical support and strategies for managing problems that may arise during the postpartum period (such as sleep deprivation and crying). Here are some more specifics!

Maternal Mental HealthLibby MarlerOctober 22, 2019The Counseling Collective Fort Worthpostpartum anxiety, postpartum depression, transition to motherhood, mother, anxiety treatment, depression treatment, prenatalComment

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