maternal mental health In Manhattan & Brooklyn
Whether You're Trying to Conceive, Having Difficulty Conceiving, Pregnant, In Your Fourth Trimester, or a New Mom
- we’ve got you!
The idea of becoming a mother had always felt so far away, but now it’s becoming a reality. You're tracking your ovulation and taking prenatal vitamins, and you’re really excited about becoming a mother. But now that you've decided to try to make that a reality, you may also be feeling a bit overwhelmed. You also may be running into unexpected challenges and finding it more difficult to become pregnant than you thought it would. You’ve heard of the challenges people go through, but never imagined it would be you. It feels as if the vision you had for your transition into motherhood is not quite meeting the reality that you’re experiencing. You feel like all of your friends had it easy in comparison and that you're the only person going through this.
You feel pressured to have a child before you're quite ready. This can be pressure from your friends, family, your partner, society, and even yourself. Everyone wants to know when you'll have a baby, and that can cause a lot of anxiety. Maybe you're at an age where you thought you would feel ready to be a mother, but in reality you feel scared and unprepared. You just want to find clarity and be sure of your decisions.
Or, you're ready to have a child but you haven't found the right partner yet. You feel ready to tackle the challenge, but you're anxious about what the future may hold. What about your career? Will you be able to maintain the same standard of living? What if you're not able to make enough money? You're not sure what your next steps for family planning should be and that can feel very overwhelming.
You're struggling to navigate the significant life changes that accompany motherhood, feeling overwhelmed or lost in the process.
You've had a traumatic birthing experience that continues to affect your emotional well-being, causing distress or anxiety when thinking about the event.
You are navigating identity changes post-birth, feeling uncertain about your new roles and responsibilities.
You notice motherhood straining your relationships with your partner, family, or friends and need support.
You're neglecting your own well-being, focusing solely on child care, leading to burnout.
You constantly doubt and feel insecure about your parenting abilities and effectiveness.
You're grieving your life before motherhood, struggling with the changes and missing your previous lifestyle.
You might benefit from Therapy for Maternal Mental Health if:
you're having a difficult pregnancy and feeling guilty.
You knew that there would be physical changes, but it's hard to feel like yourself and reframe your body image to this ever-changing and shifting new experience. You're trying to connect with your body and understand the changes happening. It's difficult when you don't recognize your body in the mirror, as you were so used to seeing it before. You know it's making room for your baby, but it can still be an adjustment. Your body is starting to feel less and less like your own and it can be difficult to find the balance between being able to nurture and protect your baby while also taking care of yourself.
you're experiencing motherhood but you don't feel like yourself.
You've welcomed your baby and you're in the postpartum phase, but it's different than you were expecting. From the moment your baby entered this world, you have had to make so many decisions — from what pediatrician to visit, to products and sleep schedules. With all these choices you can feel overwhelmed and have decision fatigue. Plus, you're working to redefine how you see yourself now that you are a mother and feel uncertain about who you are and what you should do for your little one.
Maybe you've been experiencing symptoms or signs of perinatal or postpartum depression and anxiety like loneliness, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, fatigue, mood swings, and difficulty bonding with your baby. You recognize these feelings are preventing you from embracing and enjoying motherhood the way you think you should be. This isn't the pregnancy you imagined or saw for yourself. You thought the first 3 months after birth, or the “fourth trimester”, would be a time of bonding and joy, but instead, you feel isolated and exhausted.
You may feel like you're losing pieces of the old you, yet it's so hard to see what the new you looks like. You want to be the best mother you can, but you're not sure how to find your version of that. The last trimester can be a time of joy, extreme fatigue, and an emotional roller coaster. You want to feel that connection with your baby but you’re also struggling to focus on self-care. You're also busy preparing for your maternity leave to end whilst still trying to figure out the type of mother you want to be, and if it's even possible to find the balance between the two. You want to "get it right" but you know there is no manual or guide for this.
YOU'RE TRYING TO WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND THIS NEW IDENTITY AND FIND YOUR TRUE SELF.
You don't have to feel alone during any of these stages. Our therapists for moms will provide you with a flexible support system and an understanding of your experiences to guide you through the discovery process. No matter where you find yourself in your fertility journey, know that you are capable and resilient. We are here to support you through every stage of motherhood.
The transitions that come with this stage of life can be both rewarding and challenging.
why women might seek out maternal mental health services
Some reasons women might seek out maternal mental health support include:
- Feeling overwhelmed with parenting and all the decisions and changes it involves.
- Life transitions, such as returning to work or becoming a stay-at-home mother.
- Difficulty connecting with their baby or feeling like they don’t have a bond with them.
- Experiencing difficulties with their partner surrounding parenting.
- Learning how to manage and process difficult emotions that come up during motherhood.
- Difficulties during pregnancy or postpartum.
- Insecurities about their parenting skills.
- Finding it hard to adjust to the new routines and demands of motherhood.
- Experiencing self-doubt and confusion surrounding their identity as a mother.
- Feeling a lot of pressure to ‘get it right’ as a parent.
- Having a difficult time identifying what type of mother they want to be.
- Difficulty managing various child stressors (schooling, work-life balance, parental roles).
- Having difficulty trying to conceive or thinking about conceiving a child
- Thinking about or going through IVF or other reproductive assistance
- Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) such as postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety.
Our therapists for moms and women at Manhattan Wellness are trained to help you and other women resume control over your lives. Together in therapy, we will support you in building skills for coping with daily life and difficult symptoms. We will also support you in trying to reconnect with your partner and embrace motherhood with a new perspective. We want to help you get clear on your vision for parenting and who you want to be versus the realistic potential of who you currently are.
Through our approach, you will better understand the balance of parenting and how to ask for help. This also includes navigating disappointments that you may be faced with during the process of trying to get pregnant.
we are here to help you find balance and clarity
LET US BE YOUR SUPPORT SYSTEM THROUGH THIS JOURNEY
Our therapists are also certified in Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders as well as grief and loss from the Seleni Institute and Postpartum Support International. We strive to offer compassionate, nonjudgmental care and support throughout the motherhood journey.
WE ARE HERE TO HELP EMPOWER YOU TO GET THROUGH THIS TRANSITION IN A WAY THAT WORKS FOR YOU
Book a Consult
gain support through every stage of motherhood with counseling for mothers in manhattan
- Submit a Contact Form or Email Us at hello@manhattanwellness.org
- Learn More About Our Team and Our Areas of Expertise
- Begin Finding Balance and Clarity With Maternal Mental Health
jennifer silvershein teplin, lcsw
FOUNDER & CLINICAL DIRECTOR
Director of Clinical Fellowship
SENIOR THERAPIST
It’s time to come up for air and learn to manage your stress.
Stress Management
Convenient and accessible- therapy right from the comfort of your own home.
online therapy
Be brave enough to take up space and find confidence and happiness in who you are.
therapy for women
You don’t need to snap out of it, you need a support system to help you through it.
Depression Therapy
At Manhattan Wellness, our therapists understand that this journey can sometimes not look how we imagined it. This is why we offer a variety of services to ensure you get the support, care, and guidance necessary. The therapy services we offer are Self-Esteem Counseling, Anxiety Treatment, Stress Management Therapy, Therapy for Depression, and more. Feel as if you are not living the life you deserve? Let's talk about it.
