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Trying to Cope with Postpartum Depression?

Were you excited throughout your pregnancy, but now feel overwhelmed with the responsibilities of being a mother?
Are you struggling to bond with your new baby?
Do you miss your pre-baby life?

Expecting mothers are told a lot of things. They’re told that being a mom will come naturally, that their newborn will bring feelings of unconditional love at first sight, and that motherhood will be the happiest time of their life. While this is true for some mothers, others instead find themselves wondering what went wrong. For these mothers, the period after birth, or the postpartum period, leaves them coping with postpartum depression (PPD).

Postpartum Depression is a severe form of clinical depression that occurs after childbirth. With PPD, anxiety, anger, exhaustion, and sadness can become so extreme that they interfere with a new mother’s ability to take care of her, her family, or her baby’s needs. Daily activities become difficult, and the new mother may find herself struggling to form an attachment with her baby. While mothers with postpartum may feel like there is “something wrong with them”, this could not be further from the truth: in fact, Postpartum Depression is very common, occurring in nearly 15 percent of births.

Cause of Postpartum Depression

There is no single cause of PDD. Rather, a combination of hormonal, biochemical, environmental, psychological, and genetic factors contribute together manifesting in its development. In other words, Postpartum Depression is never the mother’s fault or a sign of weakness! Nor it is ever a reason to feel ashamed or embarrassed – you are not alone.

Signs that it’s Time to Start Counseling for Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression can begin shortly before or any time after birth, but most frequently arises between one week and one month after childbirth. PDD comes with a number of symptoms, many of which overlap with symptoms of other forms of depression:

• Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, guilt, or anger
• Excessive crying, worrying, or sleeping
• Not being able to sleep when the baby sleeps
• Difficulty concentrating and making decisions
• Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities
• Withdrawing from friends or family
• Difficulty bonding with or forming an emotional attachment with the new baby
• Doubting one’s ability to parent a baby
• Thoughts of self-harm or harming the new baby

Counseling for Postpartum Depression

Without proper treatment, postpartum depression can linger for months or years, affecting a mother’s mental and physical health while interfering with her ability to connect with her baby. Luckily, this does not have to be the case. Counseling is a proven way to help women with postpartum depression, and an experienced counselor can help you reclaim your life.

With a postpartum depression counselor, you have the opportunity to enter a nurturing, judgment-free environment where you can gain insight and self-understanding, learn coping and self-care skills, and be seen and heard. Postpartum Depression therapy provides mothers with a break outside of their motherhood roles so that they can focus on the underlying issues causing the problems. After identifying the issues, coping skills and other positive changes will be implmented to help the mother feel better.

Meet McNulty Counseling’s Postpartum Depression Therapist

One of the McNulty Counseling expert therapists specializing in women’s issues is Soula Hareas, LMHC. She is a mother-of-three that knows the feeling of being overwhelmed by the many roles mothers take on. She specializes in counseling other mothers who are finding it difficult to adjust to the many life-changes of motherhood and can help you restore balance in your life.

As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Soula began her career working with women victims of trauma such as domestic violence, sexual abuse, and rape. Soula transitioned into private practice to focus on helping a broad variety of women’s issue but has been seeing more and more women struggling with Postpartum Depression. She is passionate about helping women and mothers who are struggling with Depression, Anxiety, and other more severe issues. Soula also partners with the charity Hands Across the Bay, providing counseling for victims and families.

Begin Postpartum Depression Counseling in St. Pete today

We are here to meet the needs of mothers and families in the St. Petersburg, Florida area who want to work through the challenges of Postpartum Depression. Contact us at McNulty Counseling and Wellness to begin the journey to being a healthy, happy mom.

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