Postpartum Therapy in Etobicoke Support for the whole journey to parenthood

The perinatal period covers trying to conceive, pregnancy and the early years with a new baby. It is often described as a joyful time, and it can be. It can also bring anxiety, low mood, intrusive thoughts, grief and a sense of losing yourself that few people talk about openly. If what you are feeling does not match what you expected, you are not alone, and it does not mean you are doing anything wrong.

Perinatal therapy is a confidential space to talk with a trained professional about what this season is bringing up for you. At Thought & Feeling, about ten therapists on our team support perinatal mental health, and some have specialized training in perinatal mood and anxiety concerns.

More than the baby blues

Many new parents have a few tearful, unsettled days after birth. When sadness, worry, irritability or numbness lingers, grows heavier or makes it hard to function or enjoy anything, it may be something more, such as postpartum depression or anxiety. These experiences can begin during pregnancy or in the months after birth, and they can affect birthing parents, partners and adoptive parents alike. Only a qualified health professional can diagnose a perinatal mood or anxiety concern, but you do not need a diagnosis to start therapy.

How therapy can help

Your therapist will meet you where you are, whether you want practical tools for the hardest hours or space to make sense of a birth that did not go to plan. Many clients use their sessions to:

• Understand anxious thoughts and low mood, and learn new ways to respond to them
• Make sense of intrusive thoughts without shame
• Process a difficult birth, a loss or a fertility journey at a pace that feels safe
• Navigate the identity shift of becoming a parent and grieve the parts of life that changed
• Talk through relationship strain, the division of labour and feeling unseen
• Prepare for the return to work and set kinder expectations of yourself

Therapy that fits around a baby

Life with a newborn does not run on a schedule. Babies are welcome in virtual sessions, so you can feed, rock or settle them while you talk. If you would like to step out of the house for an hour, in-person sessions at our calm, light-filled clinic on Lake Shore Boulevard West can be scheduled around feeds and naps, with weekday evening and weekend hours available. Video and phone sessions are offered anywhere in Ontario.

If you need help right now

Thought & Feeling is not a crisis service. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, feel confused or disconnected from reality, or are worried about your safety, call or text 988 or go to the nearest emergency department. You can also contact your doctor, midwife or public health nurse.