People frequently consider going to therapy before they make a major life transition, such as getting married or changing careers. But what about when embarking on a monumental shift such as parenthood? Women, who are advised to exercise and watch what they eat while they are pregnant, don’t always think of psychotherapy as an important part of their prenatal care regimen, but it can be critical to the well-being of mother and baby, both during and after pregnancy.
For many people, pregnancy is seen as this happy time full of excitement and eager anticipation, yet maternal mental health disorders such as depression and anxietyimpact 15 to 20 percent of women during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
“Motherhood is an identity shift,” says Jessica Zucker, a clinical psychologist in California who specializes in women’s reproductive and mental health. She explains that when a woman goes through these major life transitions such as getting married, experiencing a death in the family or having a baby, it tends to bring out a lot of complex feelings. And while the anticipation of a child’s birth often elicits positive emotions, it can also cause a woman to feel ambivalent. She may be torn between wanting her child and feeling like she is losing her independent identity. She may also worry about the impact motherhood will have on her marriage, finances and friendships.
[For more of this story, written by Cindy Lamothe, go to https://www.washingtonpost.com...utine-prenatal-care/]
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