Most people consider counseling and therapy when they are about to embark on a major life transition. They do this before getting married, leaving addiction, making a career change, or after a traumatizing event. But why is it that not many women consider going on counseling and therapy before and during pregnancy?
Becoming a mother is always a monumental event no matter what stage of pregnancy you are in. Your body is not the only thing that changes during pregnancy. Even your whole routine will now revolve around the baby, and your mental health will be affected.
With a pregnancy’s ability to make a sudden shift in your life, it only makes sense that you consider the help of the pros. They can help you better understand your new role and how it can influence your health and well-being.
How Prenatal Therapy Helps Expecting Mothers
No one can truly realize how hard pregnancy, birthing, and childrearing can be unless you become a mother yourself. You may know someone who does motherhood like a pro and was able to make pregnancy look so easy. But know that every pregnancy is different.
Therapy can aid expectant mothers to address varying issues related to pregnancy, giving birth, and taking care of the baby after delivery. Many women suffer mental health issues before pregnancies. It is crucial that such expectant mothers get the help they need as early as possible.
There are also some women who planned to get pregnant and are so ready to become mothers only for their world to turn upside down after delivery. Postpartum depression can make women feel extreme guilt about how they feel towards their babies. If not guided the right way, they may turn to decisions that they will forever regret.
According to a study, 50%-75% of new mothers experience baby blues after giving birth. Statistics also show that up to 15% of women will experience a more severe case of long-lasting postpartum depression. But with the right intervention, one can overcome postpartum depression.
Pregnant women, especially those who are single mothers deserve all the help they can get from their loved ones. The pros can also aid in their transition and better prepare them for what is about to come. Note that pregnancy is just the start of a more complex but fulfilling role of mothers.
Why Consider Prenatal Counseling?
Prenatal counseling happens before you deliver your baby. This type of counseling helps expecting mothers sort through their rainbow of emotions that come with the impending birth of their baby. Note that this can also be a good choice for expecting fathers and their families involved.
Pregnancy can impact women’s physical and mental health. Your body is changing in shape and you worry about every single thing you go thinking these can harm your baby. You are under a lot of pressure, and the number of expectations you and other people have only makes pregnancy more complicated.
You may feel depressed or anxious during pregnancy. You may fear a past trauma repeating itself, like a childbirth trauma or past abortion. Even if your reasons for letting go of your baby are due to medical reasons, you might still have fears about this current pregnancy.
Prenatal counseling with a licensed professional can help you address your concerns. During this time, the pros can explain the health condition of your baby so you can better understand what they will likely need. Expectant mothers can make better decisions and prepare themselves after a series of tests confirm a diagnosis of their baby in the womb.
Sometimes, pregnancies don’t always go as planned. Your baby may develop a congenital condition diagnosed through amniocentesis, ultrasounds, or chronic villus sampling. This is why regular checkups and prenatal tests are advised to help detect such conditions at the earliest date.
With prenatal counseling, a pro will help ease your anxiety, fears, and distress and you can start coping with the diagnosis. Professional consultation provides adequate information on what you can expect, what are the possible treatment options, and what the worst-case scenarios might be. This can help parents have enough time to prepare and decide what’s best for their babies before the delivery.
Knowing you now have a growing baby inside of you opens up to the world of motherhood. It won’t be easy, your priorities will shift, and you will undergo a series of changes within a span of a year. But you don’t have to do this all alone. There’s your partner, your family, friends, and loved ones along with the pros willing to offer professional help. It pays to grab the opportunity to experience prenatal therapy and counseling at the earliest date possible. You can have better peace of mind and you will have a better idea of what is about to come during and after your delivery.
