How can therapy help me prepare for parenthood?

We know that therapy can be a benefit to those who are struggling with mental health around pregnancy and postpartum, but it’s also important to note how beneficial therapy can be as you prepare for parenthood- even if your mental health is feeling okay!

Therapy can be a great place to explore when you are ready for parenthood, or on deciding if/when to try to add another child to your family.

We are constantly bombarded with information on social media, from friends or family, or on tv about the best time to have a child- but is that information actually helpful for us? When it comes down to it, readiness for parenthood is less dependent on your age, financial status, relationship situation, or what others are doing around you and more dependent on how you are feeling about it. Processing your personal wants, family goals, mental/physical/energetic capacity, support system, and mental health with a therapist can help you feel more confident around when you decide to try to bring a child into your family.

Parenthood is a major life transition! A therapist can help you connect to yourself as you navigate it all.

Whether you are entering parenthood for the first time, or growing your family a bit more, you are going through a major life transition. It’s understandable that your routines will feel off, communication with your partner will shift, self-care may be all over the place, and your sense of self may feel a bit disconnected. Therapy can be a lovely place to hold space for everything that is going on. You are free to name the things that feel tough, value the things that feel beautiful, and identify what feels most important to connect to during this phase of life.

Therapy can be an important tool in your parenting relationship!

Preparing for and entering parenthood can feel like a big transition in your relationship with your partner. There is often less time to connect, a shift in daily priorities as well as routines, and an intense game of juggling roles of parenthood and partnership. Couples therapy can help you pause to communicate your feelings and find ways to prioritize your connection through this complicated phase of life. Individual therapy can also be a great help as it allows you to process what you are experiencing so that you can communicate your wants and needs to your partner more effectively.

Therapy can help you get in touch with your own parenting style.

Often, we end up repeating patterns that our parents acted on as we were children, or desperately trying to not repeat those patterns. We can be so tied up in our own upbringing that we aren’t sure about the style we want to use to actually raise our own children. Exploring your past attachment experiences with a therapist can help you identify how your upbringing impacts your current experience, hold space for any healing that feels needed, and then get curious with how you want to show up as a parent. This won’t make you the perfect parent, but, it can help you to be present and intentional in your own parenting style!

Preparing for and entering into parenthood can be a wild time. You deserve to pause in these moments to feel present in your experience of it!

If you are in Minnesota and looking to work with a therapist as you prepare for parenthood, we are here to help! Check out our services here.