When you are expecting a new baby or adjusting to life with one you might experience some thoughts or feelings that you did not anticipate. It can be difficult to know if these are typical adjustment issues or if these are indicative that you are experiencing something more. What I usually tell clients is that it really doesn’t matter. If you are feeling like this is more than you anticipated then you likely could benefit from some brief counseling.
There are many ‘brands’ of perinatal mood disorders (prenatal anxiety, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, postpartum psychosis just to name a few) and not all practitioners are highly trained to help distinguish the differences. As one of a very few clinician holding an advanced certification in perinatal mood disorders I have spent many years growing in this field in order to provide the premium care you need as you adjust to this new phase of your life. However please don’t think a perinatal mood disorder only present the first time around, they can manifest no matter how many pregnancies you have had.