What if something is wrong with the baby?
I’ve been so sick - what if I’m not gaining enough weight?
I’ve lost every pregnancy before this - what if I can never carry to term?
What if I fall down the stairs and go into preterm labor?
What if I die during childbirth?
What if my partner dies and I have to raise this baby alone?
How long has it been since I felt the baby kick?
Why am I not more excited? What is wrong with me?
.
What if I can’t breastfeed?
What if this was a huge mistake and I’m not cut out to be a mom?
You want to do everything in your power to have a healthy pregnancy but you can’t control these crashing waves of anxiety and worry… and now you’re stressed that your being stressed is going to harm the baby, and you’re getting scared that things will only get worse once the baby is here and you aren’t getting any sleep…
You find yourself imagining your child’s future, but can only think of all the bad things that might happen - they could be kidnapped or get cancer or be bullied at school… or what if they are the bully?! You don’t know what you would do if any of these things happened, so you start to freak out. The panic escalates as you think that maybe you’re not cut out to be a mom.
Every day there is a new symptom you think you’re noticing, or another thing you’ve heard about that can go wrong during pregnancy or during delivery… and then you’re obsessing over it, spending absurd amounts of time Googling or reading Reddit threads to try to reassure yourself but only finding more things to be worried about.
Sound familiar?
relate better to memes?
I've got you covered
Does this sound familiar?
You want to do everything in your power to have a healthy pregnancy but you can’t control these crashing waves of anxiety and worry… and now you’re stressed that your being stressed is going to harm the baby, and you’re getting scared that things will only get worse once the baby is here and you aren’t getting any sleep…
You find yourself imagining about your child’s future, but can only think of all the bad things that might happen - they could be kidnapped or get cancer or be bullied at school… or what if they are the bully?! You don’t know what you would do if any of these things happened, so you start to freak out. The panic escalates as you think that maybe you’re not cut out to be a mom.
Every day there is a new symptom you think you’re noticing, or another thing you’ve heard about that can go wrong during pregnancy or during delivery… and then you’re obsessing over it, spending absurd amounts of time Googling or reading Reddit threads to try to reassure yourself but only finding more things to be worried about.
do you like memes?
maybe you'll relate best to one of these
You aren’t enjoying this pregnancy one bit, and every time someone asks how excited you are, you lie and then wonder “What the hell is wrong with me??”
The rabbit trails of research are distracting you from work and keeping you up at night (when you aren’t already up to pee, again).
You feel like a rubber band stretched as far as you can go, and more than once you have ended up snapping at your partner or losing your patience with your toddler.
And where does this leave you?
Amid all the conflicting advice you’re getting about pregnancy, birth, and parenting, you’re overwhelmed with trying to figure out how to be a good mom. You used to feel so excited and confident about becoming a mom and now you just feel like you’re drowning.
What if you could...
Reconnect with your intuition and its wisdom and guidance to be able to trust yourself when making decisions about your birth or how you want to parent?
Look forward to your baby’s arrival with confidence in your ability to have an empowering birth and in your readiness to become a mom?
All of this is possible with therapy
Welcome your fears as (sometimes admittedly overzealous) efforts to protect yourself and your baby, learning to sort out which are productive and helpful, recognizing when to take action… and when (and how) to let the rest go?
share your pregnancy journey and express your emotions without fear of being judged or dismissed
learn practical ways to cope with or contain distressing thoughts, feelings or images
Together we'll work on:
learn how to calm your body and manage other physical symptoms of anxiety
strengthen connection with your partner and envision how you want to work together as teammates in parenting
schedule your free 15-minute consultation to learn if Ifs-informed emdr is right for you
*Prenatal anxiety is often complicated by trauma. You may have had traumatic experiences during this pregnancy - including a miscarriage scare, inconclusive testing, or being diagnosed as high-risk - or you may have past experiences that are being triggered by pregnancy itself or preparing to welcome your baby - including infertility, previous losses or traumatic birth experiences, or wounds from your own childhood. These and any other traumas contributing to your anxiety can be addressed with IFS-Informed EMDR.
What is IFS-Informed EMDR?
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. IFS stands for Internal Family Systems.
Both EMDR and IFS are evidence-based therapies for treating trauma. IFS-Informed EMDR integrates the two, changing the underlying negative core beliefs that are causing emotional and relational problems in a way that collaborates with our natural psychological defenses rather than trying to just push past them.
This process completely transforms how you view yourself, others, and the world, making it possible to experience true healing and lasting change.
let go of any unrealistic expectations you had for what pregnancy would look/feel like
validating the past
PREPARING FOR THE Future
coping with the present
honor and grieve the loss of your pre-baby life
develop a postpartum care plan for your physical recovery and emotional well-being
gain clarity on what kind of mom you want to be and how you want to parent in accordance with your values and needs
learn assertive communication strategies to speak up with providers
process traumatic experiences*
learn how to evaluate your fears for what is helpful or useful, and how to challenge fears that are unproductive or irrational
- Calm your body and slow down your racing thoughts
- Challenge and change unhelpful thinking patterns
- Process and heal from past experiences that are driving your fears
- (Re)discover your strengths and innate wisdom
- Step into the unknown with courage and confidence
If you’re ready, then I know that together we can transform your fears and uncertainty into confidence and peace, so that you can welcome your new baby from a calm, joyful heart.
It's okay to be scared.
Being scared means you're about to do something really, really brave.
Therapy for prenatal anxiety can help you:
schedule your free 15-minute consultation call to get started
Becoming a mother is confronting fears you didn't know existed...
...and learning about strengths you didn't know you possessed.
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