Postpartum Therapy in Massachusetts & Rhode Island
You can love your baby and still be having a really hard time
Having a baby changes nearly everything at once.
Your sleep. Your body. Your relationships. Your responsibilities. Your routines. Your identity.
And yet there can be enormous pressure to feel grateful and enjoy every moment.
When your actual postpartum experience doesn’t look like the version you expected, you may wonder:
Why am I not happier?
I’m Ashley Luongo, LMHC, PMH-C, a therapist specializing in postpartum and perinatal mental health. I provide postpartum therapy for adults in Massachusetts and Rhode Island experiencing postpartum anxiety, depression, intrusive thoughts, identity changes, relationship stress, and other challenges during the transition to parenthood.
Postpartum Mental Health Doesn't Always Look Like Depression
Postpartum depression receives a lot of attention, but perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) can show up in many different ways.
You may experience:
- Constant worry about your baby
- Intrusive or unwanted thoughts
- Difficulty sleeping even when you have the opportunity
- Feeling disconnected from your baby
- Irritability or anger
- Feeling touched out
- Crying frequently
- Feeling trapped or overwhelmed
- Guilt about wanting time away from your baby
- Difficulty trusting others to care for your baby
- Feeling like you’re doing everything wrong
- Resentment toward your partner
- Wondering whether you made a mistake
- Feeling like you’ve lost yourself
You don’t have to fit neatly into one description before seeking postpartum support.
Postpartum Anxiety & Intrusive Thoughts
Postpartum anxiety can sometimes feel relentless.
You may constantly check whether your baby is breathing, imagine frightening scenarios, have difficulty allowing anyone else to care for your baby, or experience unwanted thoughts that leave you wondering what they mean about you.
Having an unwanted or frightening thought does not automatically mean you want that thought to happen.
Many parents feel ashamed or frightened to tell anyone about intrusive thoughts.
Therapy should be somewhere you can talk openly about what you’re experiencing without feeling judged.
“I Thought I Would Be Better at This.”
Becoming a parent can challenge expectations you didn’t even realize you had.
Maybe you expected parenting to come naturally.
Maybe you thought you’d immediately feel connected to your baby.
Maybe you imagined you and your partner functioning as a team and instead you’re arguing about feeding, sleep, chores, visitors, work, or whose turn it is to get up.
Maybe you desperately wanted this baby—and now you feel guilty because you’re struggling.
Wanting your baby and struggling postpartum are not contradictions.
Specialized Postpartum & Perinatal Mental Health Therapy
I hold a Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C) and specialize in infertility, pregnancy loss, pregnancy after loss, and postpartum mental health.
Postpartum therapy may focus on:
- Postpartum anxiety
- Postpartum depression
- Intrusive thoughts
- Anger and irritability
- Birth trauma
- Identity changes after becoming a parent
- Relationship and communication changes
- Boundaries with extended family
- Returning to work
- Guilt about needing time away
- Adjusting expectations around parenthood
- Pregnancy loss or infertility experiences that affect postpartum
- Difficulty asking for or accepting help
When birth or another pregnancy-related experience was traumatic, EMDR therapy may also be incorporated when appropriate.
Therapy After a Traumatic Birth
Sometimes postpartum struggles are connected to what happened during labor and delivery.
You may replay moments from the birth, feel angry or betrayed by what happened, avoid talking about the experience, or feel as though other people don’t understand why it continues to affect you.
Birth trauma therapy provides space to process both what happened and how it continues to affect you now.
You Are Allowed to Need Support Too
After birth, nearly everyone’s attention shifts toward the baby.
The person who just went through pregnancy, birth, and an enormous life transition can quickly become invisible.
Therapy creates space for you.
Not only you as a parent.
You as a person.
Together, we can understand what you’re experiencing, identify what you need, strengthen your support system, and help you feel more grounded in this new chapter.
Pregnant and Looking to Prepare Before Baby Arrives?
If you’re expecting, Finding Steadiness Before Baby is a one-time, 60-minute virtual session to help you feel more informed and emotionally prepared for postpartum. We’ll talk through what’s common after birth, the signs of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and how to build a realistic support plan with your partner or family before your baby arrives.
Postpartum Therapist in Massachusetts & Rhode Island
I provide postpartum and perinatal mental health therapy for adults throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including virtual therapy and in-person services in Franklin, Massachusetts.
You don’t have to wait until things feel unbearable before asking for support.
If postpartum isn’t feeling the way you expected—or you want somewhere to process everything that has changed—reach out to schedule a consultation.