Pregnancy, or the desire to become pregnant, is one of the most physical and emotional journeys you have encountered. It can be stressful, alienating and exhausting at times.
Maybe you have experienced loss. Perhaps even multiple losses. You want to have a child, yet you have mixed feelings about another positive pregnancy test because you’re scared to feel that hurt and disappointment again. The people around you are uncomfortable and though they mean well, say things that just hurt you and make you feel worse. Maybe you are actually pregnant now and are feeling fearful of attaching to this pregnancy…..you know, just in case. You know what the term “Rainbow Baby” references. You find yourself trying to manage that sense of anxiety every time you feel a familiar body sensation and what it may or not mean.
Perhaps you have spent countless months with tests and apps–logging, tracking and waiting month after month for some sign of progress or hope. You know what it feels like to hope, dream and plead for something so important to you. You also know that heart wrenching pain of continuous negative pregnancy tests. You envy pregnant women and wonder when it will be your time. Maybe you feel like you have done something wrong, that you are broken, because this dream of being a mom is seeming more like a painful nightmare. You are afraid to hope. But you are more afraid to NOT hope and give up on this dream of being a mom.
You could have just had your baby. Maybe you had a scary and painful birth experience that you have not even processed yet. You cannot imagine even thinking about that right now, as you are feeling alone, frustrated and overwhelmed. This is not what you envisioned motherhood to be. You are exhausted. You look at your body and do not recognize it. You do not feel you have time to even take care of it or yourself. You feel anger and frustration towards your partner. You feel overwhelmed by the baby’s needs and unsupported–like everything is left up to you. You do not know how you are going to manage all of the upcoming changes now that the baby is here. You cry a lot, fight with your partner, and are afraid this is your new normal.
You want to feel hopeful and happy again. You want to reconnect with you as a person and feel ‘normal’. You want to feel whole. You want to feel supported and connected to your partner. You want to feel joy in life and that you have purpose and meaning. You want to experience and enjoy parenthood.
I can help. You do not have to feel alone in this. Our work can help you feel more relaxed and calm. You can find that balance, perhaps a new life balance, and feel more contented and fulfilled in your life. You can create meaning in your daily life. You can reconnect with those most important to you and start to feel ‘whole’ again. I can help you process and move past those painful experiences and no longer feel the charge of those memories. You can learn to feel contented in your body and feel proud of who you are.
I invite you to reach out and schedule a time for us to talk. I am here to listen and to help you decide the next best steps.
