NEW PARENT COUNSELING

Welcoming a new baby into your home is one of life’s most joyful and challenging experiences. When a baby is born, most parents feel an indescribable sense of excitement and delight, but they also may encounter some difficulties they never expected to face.

Just as a baby must adjust to a brand new world, moms and dads must make adjustments as well. Parents have new roles, new responsibilities and new schedules that can cause tension and stress. The demands of parenthood may seem too overwhelming for some moms and dads to handle alone.

New parent challenges:

• The “baby blues” – Do you feel anxious, moody or sad? Have you lost your appetite or had trouble sleeping? About 75 to 80 percent of all new moms experience the blues in the first weeks after giving birth.
• New parenting roles – Are you overwhelmed by the changes in your lifestyle? Do you worry that you won’t have the skills to be a good parent?
• Intimacy – Do you feel less connected to your spouse? Relationships may suffer as a family’s focus turns to raising a new baby.
• Baby’s health – Are you worried that your anxiety will affect your newborn? A stressful family environment can put a baby at risk for behavioral and health problems.
• Postpartum depression – Have your “baby blues” lasted longer than they should? About 10 percent of women will suffer a more serious and lasting depression in the first year after a child’s birth.

If you are struggling with the demands of parenthood, you are not alone. Many new moms and dads find it hard to handle the life changes that a new baby brings. However, new parent counseling can help you to understand and adapt to your feelings. As you learn strategies for adjusting to parenthood, you can recover the balance you may have lost in your life.

Benefits of new parent counseling:

• Learn how to cope with feelings of anxiety, sadness or depression
• Increase intimacy and improve your relationship with your spouse
• Become more comfortable, confident and effective in your new role as a mom or dad
• Create a healthy family environment so your baby can thrive physically, mentally and emotionally

The transition to parenthood may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Licensed counselor Jamie Leonard offers counseling to new parents so they can learn to embrace their new lifestyle and enjoy time with their newborn.