My area of specialism is parental mental health
The Journey to Become Parents
Everyone's journey to parenthood is unique. Trying to conceive and navigating fertility treatment or assisted conception can deeply affect your emotional wellbeing, before, during, and after pregnancy. Finding validating support during this time can significantly help ease any emotional strain.
While treatments like in vitro fertilisation (IVF), intrauterine insemination (IUI), donor conception, or surrogacy offer hope, they can also introduce unique stressors that can affect your mental health. Stress & anxiety, isolation, physical strain, complex decision making, financial pressure, relationship strain & resentment are all very common feelings.
Those who have become parents through fertility treatment or assisted conception have often been on a long journey to get there. It means that you can feel like you are emotionally running on empty before you've even started your pregnancy or entered parenthood. Therefore, any additional challenges you experience during your pregnancy or in the early days of parenthood can feel even more difficult when you’ve already been through so much. You also may find it more challenging to speak up if you find any aspects of parenting difficult, or struggle to bond with your baby. The feeling that you are not ‘allowed’ to complain, only be grateful for being able to become a parent is common. This of course is not true. Everyone can & will experience challenges with parenting, no matter what their conception journey was like. Whichever stage of your journey to parenthood that you find yourself needing support, I can provide this for you.