I am certified in perinatal mental health (pregnancy and postpartum) through Postpartum Support International. As a mom of young children I enjoy working with men and women in similar phases of life. I can relate to the struggle, and I still vaguely remember some things about whether you really shouldn’t eat sushi and wake windows.

I approach my perinatal work with the same directive or psychoeducational, evidence-based approach and focus on social relationships that I bring to all my work. I once read that hunter-gatherers spend approximately 20% of their waking time with their children – which isn’t very much! For hundreds of thousands of years humans have been raising children in groups. Nuclear families are new and imperfect. The saying “it takes a village” is true. Many people I work with who are postpartum feel isolated, disconnected from their former selves or identity, and are anxious that they are failing at parenting. I encourage my patients to lean on their supports, ask for help, and to seek community.

The postpartum period also tends to test relationships. For many couples, it’s the first time they really need to work together. Researcher John Gottman has found that two in three couples experience a significant drop in relationship satisfaction within three years of the birth of their first child. I call on my marriage counseling background to help my perinatal patients through this transition.