Whether becoming a mother is something you’ve dreamed of for years or stumbled into unexpectedly, it can be filled with emotions that at times feel overwhelming and all-consuming. You may feel like you’re not cut out for it or that no matter how hard you work at it, you’re not good enough. You had expectations of what being a mother would feel like, but none of them likely involved feeling sad, scared, alone, and plagued by worry and guilt. You weren’t prepared for the scary thoughts that you can’t seem to get out of your head or the difficulty feeling happy and joyful. It feels like you’ve lost yourself and who you are and at times you want your old life back, even if there’s some shame in admitting that. You may have imagined that a baby would bring you and your partner closer together and that you’d naturally fall into new roles as parents. Instead, you might feel burdened by the demands of motherhood and disconnected from your partner. It’s hard to find time and energy to devote to your relationship when motherhood has you feeling exhausted and depleted.

Modern motherhood doesn’t often include the village that we need to help raise a child. Rather, for many mothers, it’s isolating, overwhelming, and lonely. Unfortunately this can only exacerbate existing mental health concerns during pregnancy and postpartum such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, OCD, and PTSD.