When Dads Struggle Too: The Overlooked Side of Postpartum Mental Health
Postpartum mental health isn’t just a mother’s issue. About 1 in 10 fathers experience postpartum depression, too. Learn how new dads are impacted by parenthood—and why their mental health matters.
The Overstimulated Parent: Understanding Your Window of Tolerance
Feeling overstimulated, checked out, touched out, or just plain overwhelmed as a parent? This post breaks down the window of tolerance, a tool to help you understand how your nervous system responds to stress, and how to begin gently noticing when you're outside of it.
Pregnancy After Loss: How Do You Let Yourself Believe It’s Real?
Pregnancy after loss brings a wave of emotions: hope, fear, anxiety, and cautious joy. This post explores how to navigate the complicated experience of expecting again after miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal loss, and offers gentle strategies to support your nervous system along the way.
Breastfeeding Support, Formula, and the Real Postpartum Feeding Experience
Feeding your baby isn’t always picture-perfect, and it’s rarely one-size-fits-all. Whether you're breastfeeding, pumping, formula feeding, or doing some mix of everything, this post explores the real, messy, emotional journey of postpartum feeding. We talk nipple pain, triple feeds, flange sizing, spilled milk, and the invisible labor behind it all. However you're feeding your baby, you’re doing it right.
How To Handle In-Laws, Grandparents, and Unsolicited Parenting Advice
Unsolicited parenting advice, especially from in-laws or grandparents, can feel overwhelming, even when it comes from a place of love. Whether you're a new parent or deep in the toddler trenches, navigating these moments without losing your cool (or your confidence) is possible. This post offers practical scripts, boundary-setting tips, and reminders that you're not doing it wrong, you're just doing it your way. Learn how to trust your instincts, build a support system, and stay grounded when the opinions start flying.
What If I Snap? (And Other Thoughts You’re Afraid to Say Out Loud)
Ever had a thought so strange or disturbing it made you question your sanity? You’re not alone. Intrusive thoughts, fleeting, unwanted, and often distressing, are more common than you think. Whether it’s a sudden image of driving off a cliff or fears about accidentally harming your baby, these thoughts do not define you. In this post, I break down what intrusive thoughts really are, why they happen, and how to take away their power through mindfulness, externalization, and self-compassion. You are not your thoughts, and you’re not going crazy.
When “Just Have Fun Trying” Isn’t Helpful - IVF, Loss and What to Say (Or Not to Say)
IVF is more than just a medical process, it’s an emotional, physical, and financial rollercoaster. Between hormone injections, loss, and the loneliness of waiting, well-meaning comments like “Just relax and have fun trying” can feel like salt in the wound. In this post, I explore the real impact of fertility struggles, how to respond to unhelpful advice, and book recommendations to help you feel less alone. Whether you’re navigating infertility, pregnancy after loss, or just trying to stay afloat in the chaos, this post is for you.
Box Breathing: A Simple Mindfulness Tool to Calm Your Nervous System
Box breathing is one of my favorite tools to reset when life feels overwhelming. Whether you're stuck in traffic or feeling anxious before a meeting, this simple practice can bring your nervous system back online. In this post, I share how and when I use it, and why it might help you, too.
Meet Your Therapist: Anxiety & Perinatal Mental Health Support in California
Hi! I’m Dana — an anxiety and perinatal therapist based in Petaluma. This post is a little intro to me, my approach, and what brought me here. If you’re a tired parent, a person with a racing mind, or just someone trying to keep it together, you’re in the right place.