Maternal Mental Health
Motherhood can feel like a paradox –
We can feel the fiercest connection while enduring the deepest loneliness.
We can feel needed and useless all at once.
We can feel empowered by our strength and disempowered by our overwhelm.
We can experience the most profound love while longing for space.
We can feel inspired by what we’ve created and burdened by how much responsibility we have.
Parenting, working, and existing in our culture are no easy feats. They’re made especially difficult when we are experiencing mental health issues.
And the mental health of mothers is a crisis in our country. In fact, 68% of women who have depression are currently raising children.
Maternal mental health is core to our mission at Galia. We are committed to supporting moms through their mental health journey because we believe deeply in the power of mothers to fundamentally change the world.
“I really saw clearly, and for the first time, why a mother is really important. Not just because she feeds and also loves and cuddles and even mollycoddles a child, but because in an interesting and maybe an eerie and unworldly way, she stands in the gap. She stands between the unknown and the known.”
— Maya Angelou
Postpartum Depression
Depression during pregnancy and after birth are in fact the most prevalent complication of childbirth. They can also exacerbate other health issues. You are not alone if you are experiencing the rocky emotions of this challenging period.
Those experiencing postpartum depression might:
- Find it very hard to make decisions
- Lose interest or feelings of connection with your baby or family members
- Feel profoundly sad and/or often tearful
- Become easily agitated and irritable
- Struggle to sleep even when you have the opportunity
- Experience appetite changes
- Feel guilty even for things that are minor or not your fault
Our Galia team are highly specialized in treating postpartum depression and can help you develop a plan to find your way out of the darkness.
Postpartum Anxiety
Postpartum anxiety impacts up to one in five people giving birth, making it a commonly painful condition. Anxiety in this period is more common if you’ve experienced anxiety symptoms previously, but can also develop as a new experience for some.
Those experiencing postpartum anxiety might:
- Find yourself persistently worried about things outside of your control
- Become easily agitated and irritable
- Get argumentative with partners or others
- Feel shortness of breath, racing heart, or other physical signs of anxiety
- Avoid certain people, places, or activities
- Feel fearful or on edge
- Struggle to rest or fall asleep
Postpartum anxiety is highly treatable and does not predict long-term battles with anxiety.
Parenting Struggles
Parenting is the most difficult responsibility any of us will undertake, and none of us are truly prepared for its challenges. Because we value our role as parents so much, we so often find ourselves locked into feelings of failure, frustration, guilt, and shame when we are having a hard time.
At Galia, we frequently work with parents who are:
- Helping their children with their own mental health struggles
- Parenting through grief and loss
- Navigating relationship challenges and divorce
- Experiencing health problems
- Unsure how to address behavioral challenges in their children
- Working to break patterns of trauma
We would be honored to be part of your journey.
We believe that supporting moms means offering resources for your whole self. We also know that a multi-faceted approach to care is the most effective. We are proud to offer therapy, nutrition, and medication services to meet the needs of moms.
Entering the realm of motherhood has the power to transform. It is often a catalyst for growing into a new version of ourselves, and asks us to come to terms with some of the hardest realities in the process.
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