Trauma is so subjective, right? Why is it one person’s emergent c-section can be experienced as “that was scary but it’s over now, I’m relieved” whereas another person might experience their as traumatic (and continuing to cause distress when they are reminded of it?) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Subjective distress is the most important correlation with a […]
Matrescence article
What is matrescence? Becoming a mother is a tremendous developmental shift, and matrescence is a term used to describe this process and all the emotional, biological and hormonal changes that come during this time. Much like the term “adolescence” describes that period in our lives, and all that goes with it, this term describes this […]
Who is in your village?
We always talk about the important of a “village” in raising a child, and in truth, it takes a village to protect and raise new parents as well. Many cultures have traditions of surrounding new parents with support in the early postpartum recovery period. In China, for example, the “sitting the month” period entails the […]
Black Moms Matter, Black Moms are precious
Like many of you, I’m having some hard conversations with people in my life who are resistant to the idea of implicit bias, or how this impacts people of color, particularly Black people. It’s so important we keep using our voices to spread awareness even if they’re uncomfortable conversations. Black women are dying due […]
Let’s hear it for the Dads!
It’s International Father’s Mental Health Day and such an important day to focus these important papas. Particularly right now💙 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Did you know that Dads can also experience depression and anxiety during the process of having a baby? 1 in 10 Dads will have depression when having a baby, and roughly 1 in 6 will […]
Pregnancy in the Time of Covid
Let’s just name it…this is a hard time to be a new parent. This is just hard right now, period. What an extraordinary time of grief, change, and fear, coupled with the celebration of your precious new baby. My heart aches for you being in such a vulnerable season of growth and change in your […]
Calm down, cheer up, stop crying (and other unhelpful crap we are told).
It doesn’t work when other people tell us to calm down and it certainly doesn’t work when we do it to ourselves either. When is the last time you were feeling anxious and someone told you to just “chill out” and it worked? Or when’s the last time you felt depressed and someone told you […]
Did you know you can experience a delayed onset of symptoms?
Not everyone experiences immediate onset of mental health symptoms. Mood symptoms (such as bipolar, anxiety and depression) can start up to 2 years after having a baby, not just during the pregnancy or immediately after giving birth. Common times for the onset of symptoms include: 1) when weaning breastfeeding 2) when starting back on birth […]
Freedom is learning how to feel ALL of your feelings
Emotions are not meant to be shoved down, fought against, or avoided. They can be such wise messengers sent to bring us the gift of our truth. As we lean into our emotions, they tell us everything we need to know. Much like a “check engine light” indicates what’s happening inside our car, our […]
The most common complication of pregnancy
What is the most common complication of pregnancy? Most people will guess gestation diabetes, morning sickness, or something else you hear about frequently. However, it’s not a physical complication that is the most frequent at all, but actually perinatal mental health disorders are the most common complication of pregnancy! We use “perinatal” as the term […]
(858) 345-6552 | bethanydwarren@gmail.com