What It Is and Who It Is For
The early weeks and months after having a baby are often talked about in practical terms. Sleep deprivation. Feeding. Nappies. Learning routines.
That is real. It is also not the whole picture. Yes, there is the new baby, the tiny little human needing 24/7 support and there is the change in identity for parents.
As Michelle Phan, Accredited Mental Health Social Worker at The Therapy Hub says
‘’Postnatal mental health matters because maternal mental health has ripple effects on parent-infant bonding/ attachment, on child’s development and on the whole family unit.’’
For many parents, the postnatal period brings a deep emotional and relational shift. Your body is recovering. Your patience is stretched. Your nervous system is stretched. Your relationships [intimate and friendships] change. Your sense of who you are can feel totally unfamiliar.
Bronte Taylor, an AMHSW with a focus on matresence, describes that moment clearly.
“One day I just remember feeling so heavy and being like, who even am I now?”
Listen to the full interview here
At The Therapy Hub, postnatal support makes space for the emotional reality of life after a baby, not just the logistics and practicality (of course you can discuss those too)/
What is postnatal support?
Postnatal support is counselling or therapy focused on mental health and emotional well-being after having a baby. It can support you in the early weeks, the first year, and well beyond.
Postnatal therapy can help with anxiety, low mood, intrusive thoughts, irritability, emotional numbness, overwhelm, grief, isolation, identity changes, and relationship strain.
You do not need a diagnosis to seek postnatal support. Many people reach out because something feels off, heavy, or harder than expected, even if they cannot fully explain it.
Who is postnatal support for?
Postnatal support can be helpful if you are experiencing any of the following.
- Feeling emotionally overwhelmed, flat, or disconnected
- Enhancing attachment and bonding with your baby
- Anxiety, panic, intrusive thoughts, or constant worry
- A sense of losing your identity or not recognising yourself
- Irritability, anger, resentment, or feeling on edge
- Sleep deprivation that is affecting your mental health
- Feeling isolated, dismissed, or misunderstood
- Grief about how birth, feeding, or early parenting unfolded
- Relationship tension, more conflict, or emotional distance
- Difficulty asking for help or feeling like a burden
- A history of anxiety, depression, trauma, or pregnancy loss
- Adjusting after infertility, IVF, or a high-risk pregnancy
Postnatal support is also important for partners and co-parents. Dads and partners are often overlooked during this stage, even when they are struggling. Many are carrying pressure, exhaustion, and a major identity shift while trying to stay steady for everyone else.
While mothers are going through matresence, Men are also going through patresence, some becoming fathers for the first time.
Why postnatal mental health matters
The postnatal period stretches people in ways they do not expect. Old coping strategies can stop working. Childhood experiences can be stirred up. Emotions can feel bigger and harder to manage.
Marie speaks to this directly, noticing that when parents are stretched, “their normal coping strategies aren’t working.”
If you feel like you are failing, that does not mean something is wrong with you. It often means you are carrying too much without enough support.
Bronte describes what happens when parents try to speak up and are dismissed. “It is not normal to feel so isolated and dismissed and I guess even silenced in the experience.”
Therapy offers a space where that experience is taken seriously.
What happens in postnatal therapy at The Therapy Hub?
Postnatal therapy at The Therapy Hub is a place where you do not have to perform or minimise how hard things feel.
Therapy may include.
- Support for anxiety, low mood, and intrusive thoughts
- Processing birth experiences, including fear and trauma
- Making sense of grief, loss, and unmet expectations
- Rebuilding a sense of identity after becoming a parent
- Support with boundaries, people pleasing, and self-sacrifice patterns
- Practical tools for emotional regulation when you are exhausted
- Strengthening communication and repair in relationships
- Reducing isolation and building support around you
Many parents want solutions straight away. That makes sense. It also makes sense that being fixed can feel invalidating.
Some parents need to be seen and heard and held in this moment. Just a little bit of validation or a cuddle, a cup of tea.
Couples therapy after a baby
A baby changes how couples communicate, connect, and cope. Patterns that were manageable before can become sharper under pressure.
At The Therapy Hub, couples therapy after a baby focuses on understanding patterns, improving communication, and strengthening connection. It is also a space to name what each person is carrying, including the invisible emotional load.
Parenting challenges and the guilt trap
Many parents struggle to put themselves on the priority list. Some do not even know what they need anymore. Those messages can create guilt, self-doubt, and a good parent versus bad parent mindset.
This is where people get stuck. You can love your baby deeply and still miss your old life. You can feel grateful and overwhelmed at the same time. That tension is very human and there is nothing wrong with that. This is referred to as maternal ambivalence, where we can hold multiple complex, often clashing emotions at once.
Support for dads and partners
Postnatal mental health support is not only for mums. Dads and partners experience anxiety, depression, grief, trauma responses, and emotional strain too. Many feel unsure where they fit or whether their struggles are valid.
Partners often try to help by fixing things quickly. That can come from care and still miss what is needed emotionally.
“It’s simply wanting someone to notice that, sit with you in that space, and just feel less alone in it.” Marie Vakakis
Sometimes we don’t need to be fixed or given the solutions. We just need to be held and heard in a really compassionate way.
External supports and resources
Therapy can be an important part of postnatal support, but it is not the only place people find care. Some people want additional resources alongside therapy or support while they are waiting for an appointment. Others want options they can share with a partner or family member.
These organisations offer practical, emotional, and community-based support during the postnatal period.
PANDA
Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia provides free, confidential support for parents experiencing anxiety, depression, and emotional distress during pregnancy and after birth. Their helpline is available for mums, dads, and partners, and they offer reassurance, education, and referral support when things feel overwhelming.
https://panda.org.au
Pink Elephants
Pink Elephants supports parents who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or pregnancy loss. They offer resources and peer support that acknowledge grief which is often minimised or misunderstood, including grief that continues into the postnatal period.
https://pinkelephants.org.au
Support for Fathers
Support for Fathers focuses specifically on dads and father figures. It recognises how often men’s mental health is overlooked in the postnatal period and provides information, connection, and support tailored to their experience.
https://supportforfathers.com.au
When to seek postnatal support
If something does not feel right, that matters.
You do not need to wait until things are unmanageable. Postnatal therapy can help when you feel overwhelmed, disconnected, resentful, anxious, or stuck in the same patterns.
You do not have to hold it all together to deserve support.
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