Mothers
“Motherhood is the biggest gamble in the world. It is a glorious life force. It is huge and it is scary. It is an act of infinite optimism.” Gilda Radner
Nurturing and care-taking others is an essential and vital role in our communities and in our families. I seek to help the helper.
At times, Mother’s are the last on their own priority list. If everything else is done and everyone else is taken care of then a Mother will rest. Then she will feel happy and satisfied, right?
What happens when that doesn’t happen? What happens when triggers, trauma, and sometimes the tsunami of relationships or life circumstances collide and a Mother is without caretaking?
I seek to help Mothers of all ages and family circumstances/demographics. I am deeply passionate about Maternal Mental Health. As a systematic practitioner, if I help the Mother, I help the family, the children, and generations heal and grow in healthy ways.
I also have extensive training and personal experience sitting in and alongside of Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMAD’s). These are emotional disturbances and sometimes diagnoses that occur during pregnancy and postpartum up to one year.
They are different “baby blues” (which should only last up to three weeks postpartum and be intermittent not continuous). They do not get better with time alone and become vital for Mother’s and Baby’s well-being to obtain additional support.
I work extenstively in my community to collobrate with other Maternal Providers of all kinds to increase Maternal Mental Health in my community. I teach and train to promote education regarding PMAD’s for the early detection, prevention and successful treatment of these conditions. 1 in 7 Mothers experience PMAD’s during pregnnacy or the first year after birth. PMAD’s are the number 1 statically proven complication of childbirth. Higher than any “physical” medical condition arising from pregnancy or childbirth.
PMAD’s include Depression, Anxiety, OCD, Psychosis & PTSD during pregnancy and postpartum up to one year.
They are very common. They are not your fault and you are a good Mom.
Birth trauma occurs far more often that professionals of all kinds would like to have happen. Birth is messy, can’t totally be controlled, and is a process of deep sacrifice and honor for every woman who experiences it. I honor the birth space as a sacred place. I honor this journey as process of one of high importance.
In cases where birth trauma occurs it can be recognized by trauma symptoms which could include: flashbacks, anxiety, depression, insomnia, eating disturbances, fear, avoidance or triggers, obsessive thoughts, and or difficulty integrating birth experience or new role as Mother into day to day life.
I utilize trauma modalities and safe evidenced based practices to heal PMAD’s and Birth Trauma.
For more information and resources for Maternal Mental Health, click HERE.