There is no shortage of parenting information out there.  It’s overwhelming, in fact.  You’ll never have time to sit down and read all of those books you have stacking up on your nightstand!  And when you Google your deepest questions and concerns about your baby or toddler, you’re bombarded with competing theories about the best […]

Tamara was sweating as she rushed into my office, five minutes late, as usual.  “Sorry I’m late again,” she sighed. “Just another typical day– I rushed out of work because my boss cornered me with a new assignment right at the end of the day.  I barely made it home in time to get the […]

Empty Arms: Coping With Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Infant Death by Sherokee Ilse   This book was written by a woman who experienced a miscarriage, a stillbirth, an ectopic pregnancy, and has two living children.  Over the years, she has talked to and compiled stories and experiences from thousands of parents.  This positions her as an expert […]

“I’ve never thought about it this way before,” shares Emily, “but I guess I’ve become really isolated.  Ever since the twins were born, it’s become so hard to get out of the house. I try to make it to church, but I feel like such a mess.  It doesn’t seem worth all of the effort […]

As part of a Pregnancy and Infant loss training I’m currently participating in, I’ve been instructed/assigned/challenged to read three books about grief, loss, and bereavement and write a summary.  (Really, this is just giving me the accountability and motivation to follow through on reading these books, since they were already on my to-read list!) I […]

Danielle rolled her eyes.  “I was playing with a train set at home with my 4-year-old son, and we were going on twenty minutes of circling the same track and having the same dialogue between our train cars.  My mind was going numb. I hate to admit it, but my part-time job is what keeps […]

The field of maternal mental health encompasses the many stages of becoming a parent… family planning, conception, pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period.  Sadly, according to womenshealth.gov, as many as 10 to 15 percent of confirmed pregnancies are lost.  As October comes to a close, I wanted to take a few minutes to acknowledge Pregnancy […]

Erin explains what brings her in for counseling:  “My anxiety has gone through the roof the past few months.  I just feel like I’m not where I should be in life. It feels like I’m letting everyone down; I’ll never live up to everyone’s expectations.  And on the flip side, I’m afraid people see me […]

When you’re expecting a baby, everyone talks about the positives… “It’s the greatest time in your life!  Motherhood is so rewarding!”  So why are you having such a hard time with this “magical” adjustment?  You’re feeling anxious and sad and sometimes (although you feel too guilty about this to ever admit it out loud) you […]

Nancy, a registered nurse, describes a typical working day: “Taking care of the patients is always so hectic; I barely have time to go to the bathroom myself.  When I’m working a 12-hour shift, I’m lucky to get an hour break. Usually by the end of my shift my brain is fuzzy from my blood […]