Perinatal
Psychiatric
Treatment
At Conscious Psychiatry, we offer personalized treatment options to support your mental health journey with care and expertise.
Maybe you're pregnant and struggling with worry rather than excitement. Or perhaps you've welcomed your baby but find yourself exhausted, anxious, or questioning your abilities as a mother. You love your child deeply, yet you don't feel like the confident, joyful mother you imagined you'd become.
If this sounds familiar, please know you're not alone—and you're not failing. Many women experience these challenges during pregnancy and after childbirth. What you're feeling is common, understandable, and most importantly, very treatable with the right support.
During Pregnancy, women may experience persistent sadness, emptiness, or excessive worry about their baby's health. You might struggle to bond with your pregnancy, lose interest in preparing for your baby, or have conflicting thoughts about wanting to be pregnant. Physical symptoms like extreme fatigue, appetite changes, or sleep disturbances may feel more intense than typical pregnancy discomfort.
Postpartum Depression can manifest as difficulty bonding with your baby or feeling emotionally disconnected despite wanting that connection. You may experience persistent sadness, hopelessness, or overwhelming fatigue that rest doesn't relieve. Loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities, trouble concentrating, and difficulty making decisions are also common symptoms requiring professional support.
My practice incorporates mindful medication management as well as non-pharmacological strategies to support and enhance perinatal mental health.
Anxiety disorders can actually even more common than depression during the perinatal period, affecting up to 18% of pregnant and postpartum women. These conditions can significantly impact your daily life and overall well-being during this important time.
Mental and emotional symptoms often include excessive worry about your baby's health, development, or safety that feels overwhelming and constant. You may experience racing thoughts or find it impossible to "turn off" your mind, becoming hypervigilant about potential dangers and needing excessive reassurance from healthcare providers.
Physical manifestations can be just as distressing, including rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, or dizziness that occurs without clear cause. Many women find themselves unable to sleep even when their baby is sleeping, or begin avoiding normal activities due to persistent worry and fear.
We aim to provide comprehensive perinatal psychiatric care that addresses both the mind and body.
Postpartum OCD involves intrusive thoughts coupled with compulsive behaviors aimed at preventing harm to the baby. This condition can be particularly distressing because the thoughts feel so contrary to your loving feelings toward your child.
You might experience repetitive thoughts about accidentally or intentionally hurting your baby, leading to excessive checking of their breathing, temperature, or safety. Many mothers find themselves compulsively cleaning or sterilizing, avoiding being alone with their baby, or constantly seeking reassurance from others about their thoughts and actions.
It's important to understand that having these intrusive thoughts doesn't mean you will act on them or that you're a danger to your baby. These thoughts often go against your core values and beliefs as a mother. They may actually reflect how much you care about protecting your child, even though the experience can feel terrifying and confusing.
Birth trauma can happen to anyone, regardless of how prepared you felt or how much you wanted your baby. Sometimes unexpected emergency interventions, feeling powerless during delivery, or experiencing poor communication from medical staff can leave lasting emotional wounds.
If you had previous trauma or lacked support during birth, you may be more vulnerable to developing symptoms afterward. These experiences can feel isolating, but you're not alone in having this reaction to a difficult birth.
You might find yourself reliving the birth through intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmares that feel very real and distressing. Many mothers also notice themselves avoiding anything that reminds them of the birth experience or feeling constantly on edge and easily startled.
Perhaps most heartbreaking is when these feelings make it difficult to bond with your baby, especially if they've become associated with the traumatic experience. This can create additional guilt and sadness, but these reactions are understandable responses to what you've been through.
