If you are having thoughts of suicide or of harming yourself or your baby, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1.833.TLC.MAMA (1.833.852.6262), free and confidential, 24 hours a day. If you or your baby are in immediate danger, call 911.
You should see a counselor after having a baby when low mood, anxiety, irritability, or exhaustion lasts longer than 2 weeks, feels severe, or makes it hard to care for yourself or your baby. Talk therapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT), is an evidence based treatment for postpartum depression.
Key takeaways
The early weeks with a newborn bring big physical changes, broken sleep, and a flood of emotion. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the baby blues are mild and short lasting mood changes and feelings of worry, unhappiness, and exhaustion that many women experience in the first 2 weeks after giving birth. Mood changes and feelings of anxiety or unhappiness that are severe or last longer than 2 weeks after childbirth may be signs of postpartum depression.
Postpartum depression is common. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that about 1 in 8 women with a recent live birth reported symptoms of postpartum depression. It can also begin during pregnancy; NIMH counts depression during pregnancy and in the weeks and months after childbirth together as perinatal depression.
Consider reaching out to a counselor if, for more than 2 weeks, you notice any of these signs that NIMH describes:
You do not need to check every box, and you do not need to be in crisis. If thoughts of harming yourself or your baby are part of what you are carrying, treat that as urgent: call or text 988 now, and tell someone you trust.
Many new parents hide their struggle because they expected to feel only joy. A therapist helps you name what is happening without shame. NIMH is clear on this point: a woman is not to blame or at fault for having perinatal depression, and it is not caused by anything she has or has not done. In counseling, you can sort out what is normal adjustment, what is depression or anxiety, and what might be feeding it, such as sleep loss, past experiences, or pressure to be a perfect parent.
Fatigue and appetite changes are part of life with a newborn. Hopelessness, panic, feeling unable to care for your baby, or frightening thoughts are different. A skilled counselor can help you untangle confusing or overwhelming feelings, build a safety plan when one is needed, and connect you with your medical team. Our postpartum depression therapy is built for exactly this season.
A baby changes your relationships, your sense of self, your body, and your daily rhythm. Couples often face new tension over intimacy, unmet expectations, and who handles what. Interpersonal therapy (IPT), per NIMH, aims to help people improve communication within relationships, build social support, and develop realistic expectations. That is often exactly where postpartum stress lives.
Postpartum depression often speaks in harsh, absolute terms: I am failing, everyone else does this better, my baby deserves someone else. With cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), NIMH explains, people learn to challenge and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to improve their depressive and anxious feelings. CBT is structured and practical, which suits parents who have very little spare time.
Reaching out is not a sign that you are a bad parent. It is a step toward being the caring, present parent you want to be, and toward feeling like yourself again. The sooner you ask for support, the sooner you can start to feel steadier. You do not have to simply get over it on your own.
NIMH names two evidence based talk therapies for perinatal depression: CBT and IPT. Both are forms of talk therapy, so they fit alongside the rest of your care. NIMH also notes that partners, family, and friends can help by encouraging a conversation with a health care provider, helping you get to appointments, and pitching in with the baby and the home.
A note on medication. Medication is sometimes part of postpartum depression treatment. Whether it fits your situation, including questions about pregnancy or breastfeeding, is a conversation for your physician, OB, or midwife. Foundations Counseling provides talk therapy, and we are glad to coordinate care alongside your medical provider.
Yes. Foundations Counseling offers in person postpartum therapy at our Fort Collins, Loveland, and Windsor offices, and online sessions when leaving the house with a newborn is not realistic. We are a private pay practice: sessions are about 200 dollars, your first consultation is free, and we can provide out of network documentation on request. Most new clients have their first appointment within about 48 hours, and our Counselor Match Guarantee means you can keep looking until the fit feels right.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the baby blues are mild, short lasting mood changes, worry, and exhaustion that many women experience in the first 2 weeks after giving birth. Mood changes that are severe or last longer than 2 weeks after childbirth may be signs of postpartum depression.
Reach out if sadness, anxiety, irritability, or numbness lasts longer than 2 weeks, if you are struggling to bond with or care for your baby, or if daily life feels unmanageable. You do not need to be in crisis to start. If you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, call or text 988 now.
The National Institute of Mental Health names two evidence based talk therapies: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps you challenge and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, and interpersonal therapy (IPT), which focuses on relationships, support, and realistic expectations. Medication questions belong with your physician, and a counselor can coordinate alongside your medical care.
Yes. Foundations Counseling offers in person postpartum depression therapy in Fort Collins, Loveland, and Windsor, plus online sessions. Sessions are private pay at about 200 dollars, the first consultation is free, and most new clients have a first appointment within about 48 hours. Out of network documentation is available on request.
Call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1.833.TLC.MAMA (1.833.852.6262). It is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day in English and Spanish, and partners and family members can reach out too. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988.
Clinically reviewed by Chris Berger, M.A., LPC, NCC.
You do not have to carry the postpartum season alone. Our caring therapists help new parents across Northern Colorado work through postpartum depression and anxiety with proven talk therapy, and your first consultation is free. Schedule your free consultation or call 970.227.2770.
If you are having thoughts of suicide or of harming yourself or your baby, call or text 988 any time, day or night, or call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1.833.TLC.MAMA (1.833.852.6262).