Postpartum Anxiety and Perinatal Support in Kernersville, NC
You can love this baby and still feel like you're drowning. Both things are true, and neither one makes you a bad mom.
You Can Love This Baby and Still Feel Like You're Drowning
Both things are true, and neither one makes you a bad mom. Perinatal anxiety and postpartum mood changes are common, treatable, and nothing to be ashamed of. What matters is getting support before it gets heavier than it needs to be.
This isn't the version of motherhood anyone shows you in advance. The racing thoughts at 3am. The guilt for feeling irritable with the baby you wanted so badly. The sense that you're going through the motions of a life that used to feel like yours.
What Perinatal Anxiety and Postpartum Mood Changes Actually Look Like
Intrusive worried thoughts about the baby's safety that won't quiet down
Feeling irritable or on edge in a way that surprises you
Trouble sleeping even when the baby is finally asleep
A sense of numbness or disconnection from the baby or your own body
Guilt for not feeling the way you think you're supposed to feel
Anxiety that started during pregnancy and never really lifted after birth
This can happen after your first baby or your fifth. It doesn't mean you're doing it wrong, and it doesn't mean something is permanently broken.
Support That Fits Into an Impossible Schedule
Mette Finn, LCSW, works exclusively through telehealth, so sessions happen from your own home, during nap time or after the baby finally goes down, without arranging childcare or driving anywhere. Her focus is mood disorders and perinatal mental health specifically, not general anxiety treatment applied to a postpartum situation.
You Don't Have to Wait Until It Feels Bad Enough
If you're unsure whether what you're feeling counts as something worth addressing, that uncertainty itself is worth talking through. As therapists we can't prescribe medication, but we work collaboratively with your OB or primary care provider when medication is part of the picture, and can help connect you with specialists in the Piedmont Triad if needed.
Reaching out now, while things feel manageable but heavy, is not overreacting. It's exactly the right time.
Is what I'm feeling actually postpartum depression, or am I just tired?
It's often hard to tell the difference from the inside. New parent exhaustion and something more clinical can look similar day to day, which is exactly why it helps to talk it through with someone trained to spot the difference, rather than trying to sort it out alone.
Do I have to come into the office?
No. Mette Finn works exclusively through telehealth, so every session happens virtually, from wherever works for you.
I went through this after my last baby too. Does that mean it will happen again?
A previous history does raise the likelihood, but it's not a guarantee, and it's very much worth flagging early so we can address it directly this time rather than waiting to see if it resolves on its own.
I'm having scary intrusive thoughts I feel embarrassed to say out loud.
These thoughts are far more common in postpartum anxiety than most people realize, and having them does not mean you'll act on them or that something is wrong with you as a parent. This is a safe, non judgmental place to talk about exactly what's going on in your head.
Can therapy help alongside medication?
Yes. As therapists we can't prescribe, but we regularly coordinate with OBs, primary care providers, and psychiatric prescribers so that therapy and medication work together rather than in separate lanes.
How soon after having a baby can I start?
Anytime. Some people start during pregnancy, others weeks or months after birth. There isn't a wrong time to reach out.