Prenatal Therapy
Signs you may benefit from support
Intense Anxiety, Low Mood, or Racing Thoughts: Finding yourself consumed by a heavy cloud of sadness, sudden panic, or repetitive, scary "what-if" thoughts about your health or the baby's safety
Living in an Unfamiliar Body: Watching your physical body change in so many ways that you couldn’t ever anticipate, or the realization that you will never feel quiet like the same again
Fighting Perfectionism: Feeling intense pressure from the outside world to have a "perfect" pregnancy, birth plan, or mindset, making you feel deeply guilty or self-critical if you are feeling anything less than “glowing”
Past Wounds Reemerging: As your hormones shift and your identity expands, older emotional wounds can unexpectedly flare up, leaving you feeling emotionally raw
How can therapy help?
Quiet the Overwhelming “What If”s
Learn tools to help you slow down those intrusive, scary loops, giving you the distance you need to breathe and untangle your true voice from the anxiety or obsessive thoughts
Give Voice to the Heaviness
Find safety in naming the dark cloud of sadness or numbness that has settled over your pregnancy, in order to gently explore it and learn how to handle it
Filter Out the Negative Noise
Develop methods to quiet the unhelpful advice of others in your life or on social media, so you can tune into and start to trust your own intuition
Build Confidence Around Delivery
Discover ways to build your confidence to meet the unpredictability of labor with flexibility instead of control and fear.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Not at all. The expectation that every pregnant woman should feel “the glow” is a myth that leaves so many feeling guilty and alone. The reality is that anxiety and depression (beyond vast hormone changes) often surface during pregnancy, making it incredibly difficult to feel that idealized, effortless connection. Therapy is a space where you can show up and get help navigating the emotional landscape of your pregnancy without fear of judgment.
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Yes, absolutely. Carrying a pregnancy after a previous birth trauma or medical emergency can feel scary. Prenatal therapy is highly effective for processing the grief and shock of past experiences, allowing your body and mind to distinguish between what happened then and what is happening now so you can approach your upcoming birth feeling safer and empowered.
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For the vast majority of pregnant or postpartum individuals, these are what we call intrusive thoughts: a very common, highly treatable symptom of perinatal anxiety and OCD. Because you care so deeply about your baby's safety, an anxious mind can overcompensate and generate worst-case scenarios in an effort to protect them. These thoughts can be terrifying, but they are an part of protective anxiety, not a reflection of your true desires.
Please Note: There is a distinct difference between anxious "what-if" loops and a medical emergency like perinatal psychosis. If these thoughts don't feel like fears, but rather feel like voices you or a loved one are hearing, visions you or they cannot stop, or a sudden, confusing shift in your or their reality, please call/text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262) for immediate, 24/7 care or go to the nearest emergency room.