Counselling for pregnancy, postnatal life & parenthood.
Parenthood can bring enormous change, and there isn't one ‘right’ way to feel about it.
Pregnancy, birth and becoming a parent can bring joy, love and excitement, but they can also bring anxiety, fear, overwhelm, uncertainty and emotions you may not have expected.
You might be worrying throughout pregnancy, struggling after a difficult birth, finding the transition to parenthood harder than you imagined, or wondering where the person you were before has gone. You might love your baby deeply and still miss parts of your old life. Both things can be true.
And this isn't only something mums experience. Dads and partners can struggle too. You may feel pressure to stay strong, support everyone else or keep things going while your own feelings get pushed aside. Perhaps you're struggling with the changes to your relationship, your role, your identity or the responsibility that comes with becoming a parent.
Whatever your experience, you don't have to wait until things feel unbearable or fit a particular label before seeking support.
Counselling can give you a space that is yours, somewhere you can talk honestly about how things really feel, without judgement and without needing to pretend you're coping.
There is no single way to experience pregnancy or parenthood. Sometimes the things you're struggling with are easy to name, and sometimes you just know that something doesn't feel quite right.
You might be experiencing:
Anxiety, constant worry or finding it difficult to switch off
Feeling overwhelmed by the responsibility of becoming or being a parent
Fear or uncertainty during pregnancy or around birth
Difficult feelings following a birth experience
Low mood, tearfulness, irritability or feeling unlike yourself
Intrusive or frightening thoughts that feel difficult to talk about
Guilt about not enjoying pregnancy or parenthood in the way you thought you would
Feeling lonely or isolated, even when surrounded by other people
A loss of confidence, independence, identity or sense of who you are
Changes in your relationship or intimacy since becoming parents
Feeling pressure to be the one who copes, stays strong or supports everyone else
Struggling with returning to work, changing roles or finding a new balance
Comparing yourself with other parents and wondering why they seem to be coping better
Missing parts of your life before becoming a parent while also deeply loving your child
You don't need to recognise yourself in every one of these experiences, and you don't need a diagnosis or a particular label to come to counselling. If something is weighing on you, that's enough to begin talking about it.
When you don't quite feel like yourself anymore
Becoming a parent can change how you see yourself. Your time, relationships, body, priorities, routines and responsibilities may all feel different, sometimes almost overnight.
You might find yourself wondering where you fit amongst everything that now needs your attention. Perhaps you miss the freedom or identity you had before, feel guilty for wanting time to yourself, or barely recognise the person you've become.
It is possible to love your child deeply and still find parts of parenthood incredibly difficult. You can feel grateful and overwhelmed, joyful and anxious, connected and lonely, sometimes all within the same day.
There is space in counselling for all of those feelings, including the ones that might feel uncomfortable to admit out loud. We can explore what has changed, what you might have lost along the way, and how you can begin making space for yourself again, not just as a parent, but as you.
Support for dads and partners
The transition to parenthood can be difficult for dads and partners too, but their experiences can sometimes be overlooked.
You may feel pressure to be the strong one, support your partner and keep everyday life going, while having very little space to think about how you are coping.
Perhaps you're feeling anxious, overwhelmed, disconnected or unsure of your place within the changes happening around you. Your relationship may feel different, you might be carrying worries about your partner or baby, or you may simply not feel like yourself.
You don't have to be the person who holds everything together all the time. Counselling can give you a space to talk openly about your own experience, without feeling that you need to protect anyone else from how you're feeling.
How counselling can help
Counselling gives you space to slow things down and focus on what is happening for you, away from the expectations and demands that can come with pregnancy and parenthood.
Together, we can explore the worries, emotions and changes you're experiencing, begin to understand what might be underneath them, and notice patterns that may be making things feel harder.
This might include making sense of anxiety or intrusive thoughts, processing difficult experiences, exploring changes in your relationships or identity, or finding ways to make more space for your own needs alongside caring for others.
I won't tell you how you should feel or what kind of parent you should be. My role is to listen, understand your experience and work alongside you as you begin to find what feels right for you.
Why this work matters to me
Supporting people through pregnancy, birth, the postnatal period and the transition into parenthood is an area of counselling that has particular meaning for me, both personally and professionally.
My own journey into motherhood included a complicated pregnancy and a traumatic birth, followed by a difficult physical and emotional recovery. I experienced first-hand how something that is expected to be a joyful time can also hold fear, uncertainty, grief and trauma. I later had counselling to help me process what had happened.
I also saw the impact that a difficult birth can have on a partner. My own partner sought counselling following our experience, which has contributed to my awareness that dads and partners can need support too, even though what they are going through can sometimes be less visible.
Alongside my private practice, I volunteer with PANDAS Foundation UK, supporting people affected by perinatal mental health difficulties. This role, together with my own journey into parenthood, has deepened my interest in supporting people through the emotional challenges and changes that pregnancy, birth and parenthood can bring.
I don't assume that my experience means I know how yours feels. Your story is your own. But it has helped shape my passion for offering a space where the complicated, difficult and sometimes conflicting feelings around pregnancy, birth and parenthood can be spoken about openly and without judgement.
As a counsellor, I don't believe there is a ‘right’ way to experience pregnancy or parenthood. Whatever this chapter looks like for you, my aim is to meet you where you are and give you space to explore it at your own pace.
Ready to talk?
You don't need to wait until things feel unbearable before reaching out.
Whether you're pregnant, adjusting to life after birth, finding your way through parenthood, or supporting a partner while struggling yourself, you're welcome to get in touch.
You don't need to know exactly what to say. We can start with where you are now.