I have been supporting parents with young children with Parenting and Counselling for over 50 years.
The societal story around a baby’s birth tells expectant parents that their new arrival will bring happiness, unlimited joy, excitement, deepening relationships with each other if you have a partner, and a new found meaning to life.
Counselling for New Parents
While the arrival of a new baby, be it through childbirth, adoption, in vitro fertilization or surrogacy, does bring great joy and excitement, it also turns your world upside down. Life will never be the same. The joy and excitement parents feel is often accompanied by exhaustion, sleeplessness, insecurity, physical discomfort for the birth mother, helplessness, resentment, couple conflicts, anxiety and sometimes light to severe postpartum depression. Sometimes it triggers spousal abuse.
While new parents are often startled by how much they love this precious little person, they are also overwhelmed by the enormity of responsibility for their new baby’s (or babies’ if there are twins or triplets) wellbeing.
Babies are totally helpless. You are totally exhausted. You aren’t getting any sleep. You are looking for help everywhere- mostly online. You are getting completely conflicting information. You are comparing your baby with other babies. Your sense of self is shattered. Maybe you had a job that you loved and that you were good at. Now you don’t know who you are anymore.
But when your baby smiles at you for the first time your heart just bursts with joy – even if they are still waking four times a night!
Being a new parent can be overwhelming.
Aside from being on call 24/7 – even if you work outside your home – babies can challenge you to your core.
They are irrational, unpredictable, and often exhausting, yet you love them more than you ever thought possible.
Every Baby is different!
It takes time to learn who your baby is, what they need, what makes them laugh (you’ll have to wait a few months for that!), what makes them cry
And parenting today is harder then ever!
Having worked with parents for over 50 years, I can confidently say that parenting today is more difficult than it has ever been. These days most parents are overwhelmed by all the books, websites, social media sites, online “experts”, mommy bloggers, and the comments and advice of friends, family, and even strangers, telling you how to raise your children.
It’s so confusing. It’s hard to know where to turn and whom to believe.
Before you know it, you don’t know what you think or believe, or who you are! You may start to lose all your confidence.
But remember; You are doing the most important work in the world.
Please know that I am here to help you find your own inner strength and capacity, and to encourage you to trust your heart and your intuitive “knowing”.
As a counsellor, I’m here to acknowledge the important work you are doing AND to provide you with the knowledge, skills, self-awareness and understanding to be the person and the parent you want to be.
When you work with me, I will offer you all my over 50 years of experience working with children and parents, all my training, education and knowledge, and my great passion and love for babies, children, and parents.
I am totally on your side. I look forward to working with you.
Learn more:
Counselling for Parents of Young Children
Questions? Get in touch.
Ready for a counselling session? Click here to book a session with me.