Are you feeling trapped by your high risk pregnancy?
Do you worry about the health of your baby and yourself?
Are you on bed rest and feeling depressed?
You just got back from the doctor where you found out you have to be on bed rest. Or perhaps the words “failure to thrive” are being mentioned. Maybe you even knew from the day you conceived that you would be “high risk” for one reason or another. The bottom line is that you are afraid for the health of your baby, and maybe even your own health. Bed rest seems like a large task. You are worried about your job and whether you have enough vacation time for bed rest and postpartum. How can you accomplish all of the things you need to do each day?
You don’t have to navigate a high risk pregnancy by yourself. The skilled therapists at Postpartum Wellness can help you make it through this stressful time in your pregnancy. You can do what it takes to care for your child, and yourself. You, and your baby, deserve support right now so you can maintain hope and a peaceful environment for your baby to grow and thrive.
Do I need counseling for high risk pregnancy?
You’ve taken it upon yourself to feel completely responsible for the life of your little baby.
However, right now you feel like your child’s health is completely out of your control. In fact, moms often blame themselves for what’s happening.
You may find yourself thinking thoughts such as, “I’m broken,” or “I’m not strong enough for this.” You may look to the future and how many more days, weeks and months you hope to have on bed rest and feel completely defeated and doubt whether you can get through this.
You may spend several hours a day worrying about the past. You are wondering what you did to cause your pregnancy complications or how you’re to blame for how bed rest.
For example, you wonder whether you should have taken a job with better benefits instead of following your dreams. Maybe then you wouldn’t be as worried about finances as you are now because you are on bed rest.
Or you remember all of the times you pushed off starting a family. You might be wondering if you started too late and if that’s why you’re dealing with a high risk pregnancy.
The thoughts you are having right now about your love for your baby, your “mommy guilt” over past decisions, your struggle with infertility before this pregnancy or concerns that you can’t follow your original birth plan are normal. It’s natural to have these worries. And any time it gets quiet thoughts like these come back from the corner of your mind and you spin in circles as you blame yourself for the situation you and your baby are in.
But you don’t have to stay stuck in these thoughts.
Symptoms of depression in a high risk pregnancy
If you are feeling “down” and stressed right now, you may or may not have depression. In fact, many women on bed rest may not have clinical depression. You might be experiencing dysthymia, which is when you are experiencing symptoms of depression without reaching full depression. However, if you are experiencing even some symptoms of depression during your pregnancy, counseling may be able to help.
Some symptoms of depression in pregnancy include:
- Feelings of guilt
- Irritation
- Negative thoughts
- Irritability
- Doubting you can get through this
- Anger
Regardless of whether you are experiencing clinical depression or a more mild form, counseling for depression during pregnancy can help you not only make the most of your pregnancy but also set you, your infant and your family off on the right foot for after you give birth. Processing your feelings now can help you be present when your child is born and help you mentally prepare for any complications (an emergency c-section, a NICU stay, etc) that could come up down the road. You don’t have to manage depression during a high risk pregnancy alone.
How will therapy help while I’m on bed rest?
If you find yourself showing any of these signs of depression, it’s best to seek the support of our expert counselors at Postpartum Wellness. We specialize in helping women on bed rest or with pregnancy complications. We want to help guide you through the ups and downs of your high-risk pregnancy.
Depression during pregnancy has been linked to preterm birth and low fetal birth weight. Therefore, reaching out for support isn’t just good for you but is also good for your baby.
Talking about how you are feeling will help you recognize better evaluate your thoughts. We will help you learn ways to cope with being on bed rest so you feel confident you can make it through. Identifying your fears and worries will also help you grieve the changes in your birth plan. This may not have been part of your plans for pregnancy, but with the help of our skilled therapists, you can make the most of this pregnancy and enter motherhood full of joy and love for your new baby.
What does therapy for high risk pregnancy look like at Postpartum Wellness?
We are here for you!
At Postpartum Wellness, our skilled therapists will help you navigate the feelings you have surrounding your high risk pregnancy. We utilize cognitive behavioral therapy as well as interpersonal therapy to help you learn how to manage your thoughts and fears.
Whether you live in Florida, Texas, Virginia, Maryland, or Washington, DC, each session is confidential and held in the comfort of our Arlington, Virginia office. We also provide online counseling, which is perfect for those on bed rest. We want to make it as easy as possible for you, and your baby, to get the emotional support you need during this stressful time.
The initial session is called the “intake interview,” which involves giving a lot of background information. You may be asked to talk about your life growing up, your journey to motherhood and pregnancy so far as well as your hopes & dreams for a birth plan, and the history of your pregnancy including health concerns & complications. This allows your therapist to better understand the depression, anxiety and stress you are facing so you and your therapist can work together on a plan moving forward. From there, we meet for regular individual therapy sessions for high risk pregnancy. This is where the real healing happens.
Begin high risk pregnancy therapy in Florida, Virginia, Maryland, and DC
You know you have a long road ahead of you, and you are ready to get the support you deserve. When you are ready for high-risk pregnancy counseling, we are ready to help. Bed rest is an obstacle no expectant mother wishes to experience. Follow these three simple steps to start therapy while on bed rest, or while receiving maternal fetal medical care:
- Contact Postpartum Wellness to schedule an intake session (including visits to your home or hospital, if needed)
- Meet with a caring therapist
- Feel more peaceful and confident through the rest of your pregnancy
Experiencing complications while pregnant is enough to make any new parent fearful. Let us help guide you through this time so you will greet your new baby with all of the love and care you can give.
Additional Services for High-Risk Mothers at Postpartum Wellness
At our Northern Virginia counseling office, we help all Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC mothers navigate their pregnancy and postpartum seasons. Our skilled therapists are passionate about helping women as they journey into motherhood. We offer a variety of services, including therapy for postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety treatment and infertility counseling. We also help women find healing after traumatic births as well helping parents cope with the grief and loss of a miscarriage through counseling. You are not alone in this journey. We are here to walk with you. Contact us today to begin receiving support on your motherhood journey.
Interested? Let’s Connect!
