What postpartum depression actually feels like
It rarely looks like the movie version. It isn't always crying. Sometimes it's the opposite: a flatness, a going-through-the-motions feeling, caring for your baby well while feeling strangely absent from your own life.
Many parents I work with describe grieving a future they once imagined for their child and for themselves. That grief doesn't mean you love your child any less. It's a real and heavy thing that deserves space, and almost nobody gives it any — least of all the parent carrying it, who has usually decided that grief is disloyal.
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It isn't. The love and the grief live in the same house, and in my office you don't have to pick one
Why This Isn't About Trying Harder
Postpartum depression comes from a collision of hormonal shifts, sleep deprivation, identity upheaval, and often unresolved history. It has nothing to do with how much you love your baby or how hard you're trying. Willpower was never going to fix a biological and psychological shift this significant, and no amount of gratitude cancels a real mood disorder.
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You also don't have to perform wellness here, and you don't have to prove you love your baby enough to deserve help. My office is a place to say the things you can't say anywhere else, including the parts that scare you.
What treatment involves
We start with an honest picture of what's happening: how long, how heavy, what shape your depression takes, and what's underneath it. For some women the root is a birth that didn't go the way it should have, and EMDR lets us treat that directly. For others it's the collapse of the future they expected, or intrusive thoughts that have been hiding inside the depression, or anxiety that showed up first and exhausted its way into depression.
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Weekly sessions are the usual rhythm. If medication becomes part of your treatment, I coordinate with your OB, physician, or a psychiatric prescriber — therapy and medication work well together, and the decision stays yours.
Frequently asked questions about postpartum depression therapy
HOW DO I KNOW IF THIS IS POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION OR JUST THE BABY BLUES?
The baby blues are common, mild, and usually resolve within two weeks of birth. Postpartum depression lasts longer, feels heavier, and interferes with your ability to function or connect with your baby. If it's been more than two weeks, or things are getting worse instead of better, it's worth an evaluation.
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CAN POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION START MONTHS AFTER BIRTH?
Yes. It can begin anytime in the first year, and it can start during pregnancy. It doesn't have to show up in the first days home from the hospital to be real.
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CAN I HAVE POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION AND STILL LOVE MY BABY?
Absolutely. Postpartum depression is not a reflection of how much you love your child. Many parents I work with love their baby fiercely and are struggling at the same time. The two aren't in conflict.
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DO I NEED MEDICATION, OR CAN THERAPY HELP ON ITS OWN?
Every situation is different. Therapy is effective on its own for many women and works well alongside medication managed by your doctor. We talk through what makes sense for you specifically, and nothing gets decided over your head.
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WHAT DOES TREATMENT ACTUALLY INVOLVE?
Usually weekly individual therapy, shaped around what's driving your depression: CBT for the thought spirals, psychodynamic work for the history underneath, EMDR when a hard birth is at the root. Medication support from a prescriber when appropriate. What it never involves is a protocol applied to you regardless of who you are.
This work isn’t just about coping, it’s about change.
Postpartum Depression Treatment in Los Angeles
Postpartum depression is real, common, and very treatable. Treatment means individual therapy with someone trained specifically in perinatal mood disorders.
I'm Perinatal Mental Health Certified through Postpartum Support International — using CBT, psychodynamic work, and EMDR when a difficult birth sits underneath the depression, with medication coordinated through your doctor when it's part of the picture. I see clients in person in Studio City and virtually across California.
I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist and Perinatal Mental Health Certified, which means perinatal mood disorders are my specialty rather than one of many things I see.
I see clients in person in Studio City and virtually throughout California and New Jersey — and virtual matters here, because when leaving the house feels impossible, treatment shouldn't require it.
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This work isn't just about coping, it's about change.
You're allowed to struggle with something you also wanted badly. Book a free consultation with me, and we'll talk about what's bringing you in and see if this feels like the right fit.
If postpartum depression is one piece of a bigger picture for you, my maternal mental health page covers the wider transition into motherhood as well.