MAMAS

The birth of a baby is also the birth of a mother. It is a right of passage - an archetypal transformation. In our modern western culture, this passage is greatly undervalued, unrecognized, unsupported, and misinterpreted. Women are expected to glide right into their new role and identity with grace, ease, and gratitude. But the reality is that nothing can prepare a woman for the intensity and complexity of becoming a mother. And when her transformation is not honored, named, celebrated and grieved, she can experience great suffering.

My intention as a therapist is to help ease (or eliminate) this suffering by recognizing the magnitude of the mother transformation - attending her birth as "Mother Midwife" - helping her navigate the complexity of her metamorphosis. Just like her new baby, the new mother must be cared for, attended to, attuned to, guided, celebrated, supported, acknowledged. She must be allowed to grieve, to be angry for all that she has lost, and to feel deeply her most joyous love, devotion and fullness of being.

Like childbirth, the process of becoming a mother is often painful and difficult. But also like labor, these sensations and experiences are all essential and have meaning and purpose. They are signs of opening and of change. In the end, something new and beautiful emerges - a more profound version of the woman she once was. She is wiser, deeper, clearer, more sure of herself. She has healed many wounds. She embodies a courage and resilience she never knew existed.

I am passionate about supporting women through their metamorphoses into motherhood. I bring my clinical experience as a therapist, my specialized training in Perinatal Mental Health, my personal motherhood journey, deep compassion, respect and love for mothers and all that they hold in the world. When mamas heal and grow bright, the whole world shines.

PERINATAL RESOURCES:

www.speakupsantacruz.org

www.postpartum.net

https://postpartumstress.com

LOCAL SUPPORT GROUPS:

Postpartum Wellness Group
Mondays 10-11:30 am
Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center
This group is for any mother who has concerns about her emotional well-being.
Come to this nurturing and informative group as you navigate your way to wellness.
Includes time for mindfulness meditation and singing with the babies.
Babies from birth to one year old are welcome to attend.
Family members and support people are welcome.
Please call Maggie Muir, LMFT at 831-239-1901

or Genine Leighton, LMFT at 831-331-4498 for more information.

NEARBY PERINATAL PSYCHIATRIC PROGRAM:
El Camino Maternal Outreach Mood Services (MOMS)
Prenatal and Postpartum Depression and Anxiety Treatment Program
2660 Grant Rd. Suite D, Mountain View Ca
Call 650-988-7841 or 866-789-6089 (toll free)
Visit (MOMS) for more information.

New Parent Support Group - Newborn to 4 months
Tuesdays at 10-11:30 am
Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center, Lactation Department
Call 831-477-2229 for more information.

New Parent Support Group - Babies 4 to 9 months
Thursdays at 10-11:30 am
Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center, Lactation Department
Call 831-477-2229 for more information.

BOOKS:

"Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts: A Healing Guide to the Secret Fears of New Mothers" by: Karen Kleiman

"This Isn’t What I Expected: Overcoming Postpartum Depression" by: Karen Kleiman and Valerie Raskin

*If at any time you feel you or your baby are not safe, please call 911 or have someone take you to an emergency room.

*If others have told you that your thoughts are worrisome but they seem real to you, or you feel that your thoughts make sense and everyone around you must be the crazy ones, let someone close to you know how you are feeling and tell them it’s an emergency.