WAVELENGTHS PSYCHOLOGY
  • Home
  • Children
    • About Child Therapy
    • ADHD and Children
  • Adolescents
    • About Teen Therapy
    • Anxiety and Teens
    • Depression and Teens
  • Adults
    • Therapy for Adults
    • Women Focused
  • Neurofeedback
  • Groups
    • Women
    • Young Adults
    • Teens
    • Divorce and Separation Group
  • Psychological Assessment
  • Providers
    • Providers at a glance
    • Sharon Grand, Ph.D.
    • Jayoti Chabra, LMSW
    • Bryan Johnson, LMSW
    • Melissa Laks, LMSW
    • Melissa Marconi, LMSW
    • Ginger Mencher, LCSW
    • Kayleigh Monahan, LMSW
    • Linda Montalbano, LPMHC
    • Andrea Panebianco, M.S.
    • Victoria Pitz, LPMHC
    • Caroline Rudin, LMSW, MS.Ed
    • Jessica Satkunasingham, LMSW
    • Amanda Snizek, LMSW
    • Rukiya Symister, M.A.
    • Eric Walter, Psy.D.
    • Janet Whyte, LMSW
    • Denise Wright, Ph.D., BCBA, LBA
    • Staff Login
  • Contact Us
  • Blog Posts
  • Employment Opportunities
    • Therapist Openings
    • Post-Doctoral Fellowship
    • Psychology Internships

Wavelengths Blog

The baby blues:  why is this happening?

5/9/2023

0 Comments

 
by Caroline Rudin, LMSW, MS.Ed., PMH-C
Picture
​“Congratulations!” There are balloons and bouquets of flowers all over the hospital room. The room smells sweet and clean. Your makeup and hair are beautifully done up as you lie in bed with soft, cozy sheets and blankets, cradling your newborn in your arms. Your partner is sweetly standing over you, holding your hand, in amazement of your efforts and your child. Your family rushes into the room to gush over your baby and take turns holding and changing her for you so you can begin to rest.
 
“CUT!”
 
Does this sound like a fairytale? A television commercial? Most times, it is. Let’s rewind, shall we?
You are thirty-six weeks, three days pregnant. You have had a relatively healthy pregnancy thus far, experiencing hyperemesis through your first trimester and now some borderline gestational diabetes features. You are sitting at home eating Szechuan chicken take-out for dinner and suddenly feel like you have wet the couch. Your water just broke. Early. Unexpectedly. Now what?
Picture
​Your partner grabs the go-bag from your bedroom and you are hastily swept into the car and onto the road to the hospital. When you get there, you are triaged and given a bed in Labor & Delivery. You think to yourself, “this must be a dream. No, a nightmare. Is my baby okay? It’s too early for this! My family isn’t here. What about work?” Within twelve hours, you are pushing as hard as you can to bring your child into this world, with no avail. Six hours later, you are wheeled into the operating room for an emergency cesarean. Twenty-two minutes later, there she is, waving hello to her mother with assistance from the nurse. Then she is gone. Out of sight. You can hear her cry. Where is she? Why can’t you see her? You are told she must be evaluated in the NICU due to her premature arrival. “What’s a NICU? What does this mean? Is my baby okay?” She is rolled down the hall to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit while you remain on the table in the operating room. So many questions. Not enough energy to ask them. Fear and exhaustion take over.
 
That sounds more like it: filled with emotion and sometimes the unexpected.

Picture
​Two days pass and she is now with you in your hospital room, preparing for discharge. But you don’t feel any better. Actually, you are more anxious and depressed now than you were two days prior. And crying. A lot. You ask yourself, “why is this happening?”
 
Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are incredibly common both in the prenatal (before delivery) and postpartum (after delivery) periods. PMADs impact 1 in 5 birthing people and 1 in 10 partners. PMADs do not discriminate and can impact anyone. These symptoms can arise due to the assumptions made of pregnancy and parenthood misaligning with reality as well as environmental stressors due to interpersonal violence, substance use, or homelessness. In a landmark study of 10,000 mothers, 21.9% experienced depression in their first year postpartum (Wisner, et. al., 2018). 

​The “baby blues” are incredibly common, impacting between 60 and 80% of new mothers universally due to hormone fluctuations and acute sleep deprivation. These symptoms typically last between two days and two weeks after birth. But what happens when these symptoms persist? In comes the certified Perinatal Mental Health practitioner. A PMH-C is a certified mental health professional who can support you in evaluating and treating perinatal mood and anxiety disorders such as depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Enlisting the support of a PMH-C can be critical in establishing adequate healthy coping mechanisms, identifying maladaptive thought patterns and creating change, addressing interpersonal difficulties to strengthen relationships, and fostering attachment to your baby.
 
You are not alone in this endeavor! Contact our main office to request a free consultation with Caroline Rudin, LMSW, MS.Ed, PMH-C today. 
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022

    Categories

    All
    ADHD
    Amanda Snizek
    Andrea Panebianco
    Anxiety
    Attention
    Body Mind
    Body-Mind
    Bryan Johnson
    Caroline Rudin
    Children
    Chonic Illness
    Dating
    Denise Wright
    Holidays
    Inspiration
    Janet Whyte
    Jayoti Chabra
    Jessica Satkunasingham
    Linda Montalbano
    Living Your Dreams
    Melissa Laks
    Melissa Marconi
    Mindfulness & Meditation
    Parenting
    Perinatal
    Postpartum
    Psychological Theory
    Rukiya Symister
    Self Care
    Sharon Grand
    Sleep
    Stress Management
    Therapy
    Trauma
    Victoria Pitz

Wavelengths Psychology 

4770 Sunrise Highway, Ste 105, Massapequa Park, NY 11762 /100 Hicksville Road, Ste 203, Massapequa, NY 11758/520 Franklin Avenue, Ste L-18C, Garden City, NY 11530

Good Faith Estimates
As of January 1, 2022,all healthcare providers are required to provide estimates for the cost of care for all clients not utilizing health insurance.  The Good Faith Estimate shows the cost of any items and services that are reasonably expected for your healthcare needs and treatment.  This will be provided by the office upon scheduling and/or as requested.  This Good Faith estimate does not include unexpected costs that could arise during treatment.  Learn more here.

Information contained on this website is intended for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or diagnosis. Nothing on this site is intended nor should be taken as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other qualified healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this website for self-diagnosing yourself- treating any health problem or disease, or self-prescribing any medication or other treatment.

  • Home
  • Children
    • About Child Therapy
    • ADHD and Children
  • Adolescents
    • About Teen Therapy
    • Anxiety and Teens
    • Depression and Teens
  • Adults
    • Therapy for Adults
    • Women Focused
  • Neurofeedback
  • Groups
    • Women
    • Young Adults
    • Teens
    • Divorce and Separation Group
  • Psychological Assessment
  • Providers
    • Providers at a glance
    • Sharon Grand, Ph.D.
    • Jayoti Chabra, LMSW
    • Bryan Johnson, LMSW
    • Melissa Laks, LMSW
    • Melissa Marconi, LMSW
    • Ginger Mencher, LCSW
    • Kayleigh Monahan, LMSW
    • Linda Montalbano, LPMHC
    • Andrea Panebianco, M.S.
    • Victoria Pitz, LPMHC
    • Caroline Rudin, LMSW, MS.Ed
    • Jessica Satkunasingham, LMSW
    • Amanda Snizek, LMSW
    • Rukiya Symister, M.A.
    • Eric Walter, Psy.D.
    • Janet Whyte, LMSW
    • Denise Wright, Ph.D., BCBA, LBA
    • Staff Login
  • Contact Us
  • Blog Posts
  • Employment Opportunities
    • Therapist Openings
    • Post-Doctoral Fellowship
    • Psychology Internships