Why Start Therapy in Pregnancy? Support for Your Mental Health Before Baby Arrives

Are you pregnant right now? Have you been pregnant in the past? If the answer is yes, then you know how emotional pregnancy can feel sometimes. Even if you are enjoying your pregnancy, have hardly any physical complaints, you probably still experience emotional ups and downs about what is to come. If you’ve had a miscarriage or a loss in pregnancy before this, then you know how different a subsequent pregnancy can feel. Isn’t it nice talking to other women who are pregnant and/or have been pregnant before? They empathize, validate you, and reassure you- because they get it. Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone you can talk to about your pregnancy regularly who is also unbiased?

The point is- you don’t need to be in crisis or experiencing mental health issues to seek support from a therapist. Starting therapy while you’re pregnant can be beneficial AND preventative for your mental health. Let me tell you why.

Pregnancy Is a Major Life Transition

It’s true, pregnancy is the start of a major life transition, whether or not you already have kids. Each pregnancy can feel different. Physical changes are happening, your hormones are different, you may be more emotional, and you may start to feel a shift in your identity or a change in your relationships with friends, family, and/or your partner.

As a pregnancy therapist, I’ve seen clients in this stage for many different reasons, anxiety being one of the main reasons. Their anxiety was related to giving birth, body image, physical sensations and symptoms of pregnancy, history of loss or miscarriage, and/or health complications. Some clients start in pregnancy because of changing relationship dynamics, known genetic abnormalities, or health complications of the baby, a history of abuse, a history of trauma, and/or traumatic birth, intrusive/scary thoughts, feeling overwhelmed, or a lack of social support. I’ve also had clients who started therapy in pregnancy as a preventative measure and to have the extra support. My main point here is, there are many different reasons you could start therapy in pregnancy, but pregnancy counseling can help you feel grounded during this big change.

Early Support Can Be Preventative

Did you know that if you have a family or personal history of mental health struggles like anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder that you’re more likely to experience it while you’re pregnant or postpartum? So, if you know you already have a tendency towards one of these things, wouldn’t it make sense to start therapy while you’re pregnant as a preventative measure? Before you start to feel symptoms or your current feelings worsen. One in five will experience perinatal (pregnancy up to 1 year postpartum) depression or anxiety (postpartum.net). If you’ve experienced a mental health struggle in the past, then you know it’s even harder to reach out for support when you’re feeling like that. If you already have someone on your side, you’re already set up for support and success. Plus, if you can imagine what postpartum might be like, it’s going to be hard to find time to look for a therapist even if you do need one.

Pregnancy Counseling Can Help You Prepare Mentally and Emotionally

By starting therapy in pregnancy, you have time and space to work through things in advance. For example, maybe you and your partner have different ideas about how you want to parent your unborn child. Or maybe you haven’t even thought about that yet. Therapy is a great place to start thinking about it, exploring it, or working through your concerns. Another example could be that you had something traumatic or big happen in your childhood, and you're concerned you might feel triggered when raising your child. We can work through and process these things in therapy by either talking about them or utilizing brainspotting. Learn more about brainspotting on my blog or how I use it with clients here.

As a pregnancy therapist, I also provide education and facilitate discussion with my pregnant clients about signs to watch out for in regards to their mental health, baby blues, and what is normal, planning for postpartum support. Although I am not a childbirth educator, I love talking with clients about their birth plans, labor support they can utilize depending on their preferences, standard procedures in a hospital birth setting, possible benefits of birth outside a hospital setting, and help them make choices that align with their intuition. I love directing clients to useful resources on the web or in their local area. I want my clients to feel empowered and knowledgeable heading into labor, delivery, and postpartum.

Prior to working with women in a therapy setting I was working as a social worker in a hospital, including labor and delivery. I am also a mother myself, so I can relate to being pregnant and postpartum. In addition, I am knowledgeable about larger resources available in California, and about local resources in the greater Sacramento area. I am a member of the Capital City Birth Collective which is group of professionals working in the birth space to support families.

Online Therapy California Makes It Easier

 The great thing about my practice is that it is all online. So no matter where you are in California, I can work with you! This is especially convenient for moms who are transitioning from pregnancy to postpartum. It can be so hard to leave the house in those early postpartum days, and it can be so nice to talk to someone outside your immediate circle- even if it is to process or tell your birth story (my favorite!!). In pregnancy, we can talk while you’re on your lunch break at work or when you’re home on maternity leave. When you’re postpartum you can show up for therapy in sweats, without showering, messy bun, baby on the boob or the monitor- it’s all about convenience.

Interested in Working with a Pregnancy Therapist in California?

If this blog resonates with you and makes you think, “Maybe I could use therapy in pregnancy” reach out! Even if you’re not sure if you have a “problem” to talk about. Everyone could use additional support when they’re pregnant. I love talking about pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum. I want to hear about your plans, your concerns, and everything else!

I also offer postpartum therapy, birth trauma therapy, and online therapy for trauma, all in the state of California.

At the time this blog is written, I am taking new clients until mid-May. So reach out today and see if we’d be a good match.

You can contact me here to book a free 15-minute consultation.

Or you can text me directly at (530) 628-9753 or email me at brittanylcsw@protonmail.com.

I can’t wait to talk to you!

If you’re looking for a condensed version of this blog, check out my Instagram post on this topic.

Check out my website for additional services and information!