By the time most parents reach out about postpartum anxiety, they have already read the books, tried the breathing exercises, and told themselves to relax a hundred times.
The thoughts keep coming anyway. You are not doing this wrong. You are responding to a body and a mind that have shifted in ways most people don’t talk about.
Some of this might sound familiar.
Not a checklist to pass or fail. Just the shapes this tends to take, in case it helps to see them named.
You are pregnant or postpartum, and the worry has crowded out everything else.
You check on the baby again and again before you can fall asleep, and even then you cannot quite settle.
Intrusive thoughts have arrived, often graphic, often involving your child's safety, and you cannot tell anyone.
You have stopped doing things that used to feel grounding, in case something happens.
Your body is in a constant low hum of alertness, even when nothing is wrong.
You worry that asking for help means losing your baby or being judged as a bad parent.
Friends and family keep telling you it will pass, and that is not landing.
If you see yourself in even one of these, you are in the right place.
What this might feel like
In their own words. Some of what parents say, before they have a name for it.
I am exhausted but I cannot sleep. Even when the baby sleeps, my body refuses.
I keep imagining things going wrong. Then I feel like a terrible mother for imagining them.
Everyone tells me to enjoy this time. I cannot enjoy anything. I just want my brain to be quiet.
How I work with postpartum anxiety
A central thread runs through the work. We get specific about what your anxiety is doing, in your body and in your day. Then we slow down enough for the nervous system to recognise it is safe in this moment, even when the thoughts say otherwise.
The methods are practical, grounded and trauma informed. Polyvagal-informed work to help your body learn what calm feels like again. CBT and IFS to look at the thoughts honestly without being run by them. Attachment-aware perspective for the worry about the baby, the marriage, and your own changing identity. PMH-C training that means I have seen what you are describing before, and there is a way through.
You will not be diagnosed by me. You will be heard. We will work at the pace your nervous system can hold.
Practical details
Sessions and format
50-minute sessions, virtual across Ontario or in person Tuesdays in St. Agatha.
Virtual sessions across Ontario or in person in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. We can talk through which format fits your life on the consult call.
Fees and insurance
A receipt is provided for insurance reimbursement under Social Work Services, and many extended plans cover sessions. You confirm your coverage with your insurer.
For full details on session fees and payment, visit the Fees & Insurance page.
Every new client starts with a free 15-minute phone consultation. Once we have spoken, we will book a time that works for both of us. There is no obligation to continue.
Starting does not have to be complicated.
Book a free consult
A free 15-minute phone call. We talk about what is going on and whether we are the right fit. No obligation to continue.
Find your footing
Once we have spoken, we will book a time that works for both of us. The first sessions are slower and reflective; we get clear on what you are carrying.
Do the work, together
We work at the pace your nervous system can hold, and check in often about what is shifting and what you need next.
Frequently asked questions
Intrusive thoughts during the postpartum period are very common and they do not mean you are dangerous, broken, or a bad parent. They typically reflect a brain that is hyperaware of the things that could go wrong with someone you love. We work with them directly so they lose their grip, rather than treating them like a secret you cannot say out loud. If your thoughts include intent or specific plans rather than fearful imagery, that is a different situation and we will talk about it openly and find the right level of support.
It varies. Some clients move through the work quickly. Others stay longer because the work touches identity, partnership, or family-of-origin themes that are worth attending to. We will check in regularly about what is shifting and what you need next. You decide when the work ends.
Only if it is relevant and only when you are ready. Postpartum anxiety often draws on patterns that started long before the baby arrived, and looking at those patterns is one of the things that makes the work last. But you lead. We will not go anywhere your nervous system is not ready to go.
Related areas
Many clients working on postpartum anxiety are also navigating related experiences. The pages below cover some of the most common.
Ready to talk?
Every new client starts with a free 15-minute phone call. We talk about what is going on, what you are hoping for, and whether we are the right fit. No paperwork. No pressure.