From postpartum devastation to perinatal therapist When I reflect on my journey to becoming a perinatal therapist, I vividly recall my own postpartum mental health challenges. Becoming a perinatal therapist has been a deeply personal and meaningful calling. The perinatal period, defined as the time from pregnancy to a year after giving birth, is one of the most transformative times in a person’s life. My perinatal healing journey certainly was life-changing for me. Unexpected perinatal challenges of my first child’s birth Me and my first born meeting each other for the first time. My journey began with the traumatic birth

Navigating the Complex Landscape of Grief Grief is a powerful and universal emotion that touches each of us in big and small ways. It’s a feeling that can’t be underestimated in its depth and complexity. It doesn’t always arrive at our doorstep in the same form. In fact, grief comes in many forms. As you navigate the complex nature of grief processing, it can help to keep a few things in mind. The Physical Side of Grief: Understanding Your Body’s Response When we grieve, we experience emotions as physical sensations in our bodies. People often report physical sensations of grief,

4 (of the many) main events Hey there, new (or expectant) parents! Congratulations on your journey into the wild world of parenting. Now that you’ve crossed the finish line of labor and delivery, it’s time to navigate the sometimes bumpy but very interesting and funny road of postpartum body changes. Buckle up, because it’s going to be a ride you’ll never forget (or you might due to lack of sleep). Postpartum Bleeding: The Red Carpet Treatment Let’s dive right into it: postpartum bleeding. Remember the intensity of labor and giving birth? Well, consider postpartum bleeding as the grand finale. Embrace

Your baby’s birthday: harder than you expected Being forced to celebrate the anniversary of a horror in your life is so complex. You are raw and emotional but expected to hold your head up and put on a smile. You wonder how you are supposed to survive your baby’s birthday. Well-meaning but uninformed family members might even ask you to tell the story of how the baby was born. The season is the same. The activities of your life are similar. So many reminders. You look at the clock and remember, “this is when they broke my water”. Or “this

Surviving your baby’s birthday As you approach the anniversary of the birth of your child, you may have mixed feelings. You wonder how you will survive your own baby’s birthday. Some people describe their experience of childbirth as feeling like everyone failed to rescue them. I can’t tell you how you will feel. But I can tell you how I felt and later what helped me. Below is my experience. Yours is still unfolding. Birthaversary (also known as my baby’s birthday) No one acknowledged what happened. Everyone just thinks it is okay and we are celebrating. Everyone wants to make