[PDF Download] Caring for Your Mental Health in the Perinatal Season
- Jennifer Ellis, LCSW
- May 14
- 3 min read
There’s a whole whirlwind of things we start doing when preparing for a new baby. There are the regular OB visits that somehow become weekly in the blink of an eye, ultrasounds, hospital tours, and hours spent interviewing pediatricians. Then come the classes—birthing classes, breastfeeding classes (even if you’re still not totally sure that’s your plan), infant CPR, maybe a new parent workshop or two.
It’s a full-time job just getting ready to become a parent. We pack our calendars and fill our brains with information, hoping all of it will help us feel ready for what’s ahead. (Even if no one really knows what “ready” actually feels like.)
But here’s the part that often gets left off that long list of to-do's: Our mental health.
What is the Perinatal Season?
We consider the perinatal season to be the time from pregnancy through the first year postpartum. It’s a time of huge transformation—with big shifts in identity, hormones, relationships, and emotional needs, in addition to all of the changes with our physical body.
Our emotions shift, our hormones fluctuate, our identities stretch in every direction. The roles we hold in our relationships—partner, daughter, friend—often change, too. And while we pour ourselves into preparing for our baby, it becomes all too easy to shelf our own needs. To press pause on what we might be feeling in the name of being “fine” or “focused on the baby.”
It’s incredibly common to feel things like irritability, intrusive thoughts, anxiety that seems to come out of nowhere, mood swings, or a sense of disconnection from yourself or your baby. And sometimes it’s not even extreme—it might just be this low hum of overwhelm or loneliness that doesn’t seem to go away.
In fact, studies show 1 in 5 birthing people experience a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder—and that number is likely even higher when we factor in those who don’t reach out for support.
JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE FUNCTIONING, DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE FEELING OKAY. AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL YOU'RE NOT FUNCTIONING, TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR MENTAL HEALTH.
The truth is, taking care of your mental health during this season isn’t selfish. It’s foundational. When we’re grounded, supported, and emotionally cared for, we’re better able to create a safe and stable space for our babies to grow. And support doesn’t have to wait until things feel overwhelming.
What is Perinatal Therapy?
Therapy in the perinatal season can be a space to breathe. To talk freely without managing anyone else’s feelings. And maybe most importantly, it’s a space where a therapist can ask the questions no one else is asking—the ones that help you slow down and check in with you. Questions like, “What’s actually coming up for you right now?” or “What part of you needs care in this moment?” The kind of questions that often get lost in the chaos of planning and preparing and doing.
Depending on your needs, therapy might include things like building a self-care plan, processing fears or birth trauma, navigating relationship changes, exploring identity shifts, or simply creating space to feel whatever you’re feeling without needing to explain it.
Maybe you're noticing that the pressure to feel grateful is outweighing your ability to be honest. Or maybe you're smiling through it all on the outside, but inside you’re running on fumes.
MAYBE YOU JUST WANT A SPACE WHERE SOMEONE WILL CHECK IN ON YOU, NOT JUST THE BABY.
If any of this sounds familiar, it might be worth asking: What would it feel like to have space just for me?
Because sometimes you just need someone in your corner who gets it.
Let’s make this kind of support as normal as choosing a birth plan or finding your OB. Because your mental health isn’t a luxury—it’s an essential part of the foundation you’re building for yourself, your baby, and your family.
Free PDF Download
Download and print off our free reminder sheet below on ways to care for your mental health in the perinatal season.
If you reside in New Jersey and want to see if therapy is right for you in this life season, contact us for a consultation.
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