Everyone is asking about the baby. Nobody is asking about you.

Perinatal and Maternal Mental Health Therapy in Calgary

Free 15-minute consults are usually booked within 24 hours. Not a waitlist, not a callback queue. You pick a time and it is yours.

You are in very large company. Roughly one in seven to one in eight women experiences postpartum depression, and Statistics Canada's Survey on Maternal Health found that about one in four Canadian mothers reported symptoms consistent with postpartum depression or an anxiety disorder. Research, including a large British Columbia study of hundreds of new mothers, finds that unwanted, intrusive thoughts of harm coming to one's infant are reported by the overwhelming majority of new mothers. Having these thoughts is not a prediction or a danger sign, it's a near-universal feature of a postpartum brain wired for hypervigilant protection. You don't have to wait until things feel unbearable to reach out for support for yourself.

What it can look like. Crying more than usual, or feeling flat and numb. Worry that will not switch off, even when the baby is asleep. Intrusive thoughts or images that frighten you. Irritability or rage that does not feel like you. Not feeling the connection you expected. Trouble sleeping even when you have the chance. A quiet sense that you have lost track of who you are.

Baby blues or something more? Many new parents feel teary, overwhelmed and up and down in the first days after birth. These baby blues usually ease within about two weeks. If the feelings last longer than that, get stronger, or make it hard to get through the day, it is worth talking to someone: your doctor or midwife, Health Link at 811, or us.

It is not only after birth. Depression and anxiety can start during pregnancy, and the perinatal period runs through the first year after birth. We also support people through pregnancy after loss, after a miscarriage or stillbirth, during fertility treatment, and through the adjustment to a second or third child.

What the research says. In Statistics Canada's Survey on Maternal Health of more than 6,500 mothers, 17.9% reported symptoms consistent with postpartum depression and 13.8% with postpartum anxiety. The strongest links were a past history of depression, a weaker sense of belonging in one's community, and having support available only some of the time or less. None of these means you will struggle. Knowing them can help you reach out sooner.

Working alongside your medical care. Therapy does not replace your family doctor, midwife or obstetrician. Questions about medication, including during breastfeeding, belong with them. With your consent, we are glad to coordinate so everyone supporting you is on the same page.

If you are in crisis. If you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby and feel you might act on them, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. You can also call or text 988, or call the Distress Centre at 403-266-4357, any time.