I was fortunate to give birth to my second child in June of 2025. As I got bigger and bigger in my pregnancy, I heard all sorts of stories about the perinatal experience from all sorts of clients–people who had healthy pregnancies and healthy babies, people who had healthy pregnancies and disastrous deliveries, people who were appropriately cared for and supported during their pregnancies to people who did not feel heard or seen. Not to even mention the challenges of infertility.
Hearing these powerful stories made me reflect on how complicated and intricate each journey to parenthood truly is. Some people do not want to become parents but find themselves preparing to be one; some people want to be parents and don’t find that it is in the cards for them. Still others are childless by choice and often receive judgment and shame. Others are childless not by choice and are constantly reminded of this.
While the bulk of my maternity leave was spent caring for a tiny being who needed much of my attention, I chose to spend some of that time digging into learning about the impact of postpartum mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) as well as the intersection of trauma and the perinatal period. Learning about these things and hearing these stories inspired a powerful hope within me, because it can get better. These painful experiences can ultimately be transformational, and with hard work and dedication, even for the better.