Happy Birthday CNY Therapy Solutions!

By Stephanie N. Straub, LCSW

Every year in August CNY Therapy Solutions recognizes it’s years in practice.  This year makes EIGHT and it’s been one of many transitions.  We said hello to new therapists, said goodbye to some, welcomed a baby to our staff “family”, brought on a professional cleaning service (Yay! No more scrubbing the staff toilet!) and recently hired a new office assistant to help streamline some of our administrative systems and structures.   

Over the last year CNY Therapy Solutions has held 3211 sessions serving 267 clients.  We consider it an honor to be trusted with your stories, vulnerabilities, successes and failures.  We are grateful for each and every one of you for being a part of CNY Therapy Solutions’ success.  And even though it’s important to stop and celebrate, we don’t take this success for granted.  Every day we strive to be a little bit better when it comes to being of service to our clients and community. 

Often the feedback received from new clients as they walk into the office is that it feels like “home”.  That’s exactly what we strive for.  Our hope is to provide you a space that even just for 45 minutes, you can sit and be your true authentic self, feeling accepted and emotionally held. Come in your comfy clothes, grab a snack from the waiting room and kick off your shoes as you curl up in a blanket in the therapy room.  We are here for you as long as you need us.  Here’s to another year with our best hopes to assist you in bringing the richness and meaning to your life you desire.  From the deepest part of our hearts, thank you. 

Postpartum Depression or Just Singing the (Baby) Blues?

By Stephanie N. Straub, LCSW

For you as a new parent and mother specifically you’ve heard the term “Baby Blues” used to describe the very common and normal short-term period of acute distress that comes after baby is born.  But something about how you’re feeling just doesn’t feel “normal” to you.  Baby is home and transitioning fine, but something doesn’t quite feel right.  You just don’t feel like yourself and your shifting moods don’t match your experiences even thought everyone is telling you that it’s probably just the blues. 

For many new mothers this time of transition can feel like a roller coaster ride that no book, blog, or Instagram follow could have ever prepared you for.  But how do you know that what you’re feeling is within the realm of normal or requires some additional support? 

The baby blues describes a very short period of time after baby is born lasting about 2-3 weeks where you may feel tearful, moody, or restless.  It’s heavily influenced by massive hormonal shifts after the delivery of a baby and compounded by sleep deprivation, feeding issues and the stress of caring for a newborn baby. It’s often transient and comes and goes relatively quickly throughout the day and typically resolves on it’s own after that short period of time as your body begins to regulate and you start to develop your new routines as a parent/family. 

If, however, your symptoms feel most intense and persistent you may be dealing with Postpartum Depression or another Perinatal Mood or Anxiety Disorder (PMAD) like Postpartum Anxiety, Bi-Polar, OCD, PTSD, or in more rare cases, Psychosis. 

Symptoms that indicate the presence of a mood or anxiety disorder include but certainly aren’t limited to: low mood, excessive crying, social isolation, low interest in activities previously engaged in, sleep/appetite disruption, anger or irritability, feeling restless or on edge, excessive worry, intrusive distressing thoughts, avoidance of triggering places or experiences, hypervigilance, nightmares, compulsive behaviors or rituals to prevent negative outcomes, rumination and more.  Please keep in mind that the presence of these symptoms alone is not indicative of a mood or anxiety disorder.  As a therapist we look at the intensity, frequency and duration of these symptoms along with the impact on functioning to determine if a PMAD is present. 

One in five women will experience a PMAD during postpartum.  Even with such a high prevalence it is highly stigmatized making new mothers feel even more isolated and alone in their struggle. If you or someone you know could use some additional support, we are here to help!  Please reach out today to allow us to be part of  your journey to have a rich and meaningful postpartum experience. 

Myths of Motherhood: Part Three

Myth #3: Since breastfeeding is natural it should be easy!!

NO WAY! Breastfeeding is NOT easy. So many moms get caught by the idea that since breastfeeding is natural it should come….well, naturally. But the thing is, breastfeeding is a learned skill for both you and your baby! Both of you are new to this, it can be messy, uncomfortable, and sometimes even painful. When moms struggle they often feel like this is some sort of failure on their part, but I assure you it is not.

There are so many variables that that determine the level of success or struggle that comes with breastfeeding. First let’s account for the fact that your baby is a complete stranger to you. You (hopefully!) wouldn’t walk up to someone on the street and offer your breast to them, so why would it feel any less awkward to do it with this brand new little person in your life???

Second, unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of support readily available to a new breastfeeding mom. In the hospital it is often a labor and delivery nurse who supervises the first breastfeeding session. Then you move to the maternity ward where you have another new nurse, or multiple new nurses with shift changes. In my personal experience a lactation consultant didn’t visit me until the day after my daughter was born and she completely contradicted what I had been told by the nurses! If after you go home you need additional support you need to seek it out and find it for yourself. Talk about stressful when you’ve got scabby, leaky nipples dripping with milk and a crying hungry baby!

Third, the sense of urgency and duty that comes with breastfeeding can often set you up for failure. Although the benefits of breastfeeding are undeniable, I feel we have gone a little off the deep end with all the “Breast is Best” campaigns. When a mom struggles to (or just plain chooses to not) breastfeed, they can often feel like they are somehow shortchanging their baby. They often try to muscle through the process, which can really have a negative impact on their moods, creating an even more risky situation for both mom AND baby.

Finally, you can’t force your body to do something it just isn’t able to do. I am aware of a lactation consultant who had all the training and resources around breastfeeding at her fingertips and she just didn’t produce enough milk to sustain her baby. No amount of breastfeeding cookies, biscuits or teas can overcome this biological barrier for some and it is not a reflection of you as a mom. All it means is that breastfeeding wasn’t a fit for you by no fault of your own.

What I know for sure is having support is going to set you up for the best chance at success. Consider taking a breastfeeding class when you are pregnant, hiring a postpartum doula for after baby comes (many are well versed in breastfeeding, are breastfeeding educators or lactation consultants themselves), and be sure you have the names and numbers of local lactation consultants handy BEFORE you need them. And as always, if you are experiencing a significant amount of distress around breastfeeding or other issues please reach out for help. You can click here to contact me.

I'm Writing a Blog!!

Welcome!

I am so glad you are here. One of my professional goals for 2019 is to write a blog in the area of reproductive and maternal mental health. The purpose of the blog will to be to provide education through posts, book reviews, links to resources and guest blogs!

Some topics that will be covered are:

• The difference between baby blues and postpartum mood and anxiety disorders (postpartum depression)

• How to recognize and manage anxiety

• Self-Care

• Finding and maintaining social support

• Infertility and loss

• Postpartum planning

• Getting sleep

• Grief of parenthood

And so many more!

Please feel free to comment below on any additional topics you want to hear about and stay tuned!!!