What This Can Feel Like
The transition into parenthood can be profoundly disorienting, particularly when the experience does not resemble the version you expected. You may love your baby and still grieve the person you were before, feel frightened by intrusive thoughts you would never act on, or resent a partner whose life appears to have changed far less than your own.
Many clients are functioning on very little sleep while managing intense responsibility and a body that may still feel unfamiliar. When everyone around you is focused on the baby, it can become difficult to say that you are not feeling like yourself or that the pressure is beginning to exceed what you can carry.
Why This Period Hits So Hard
Pregnancy and the postpartum period involve significant physiological change alongside a complete reorganization of time, identity, and relationships. Previous attachment wounds or experiences of loss can become more active, and the cultural expectation of gratitude often adds shame to emotions that are already difficult to understand.
Intrusive thoughts, anxiety, low mood, and grief can all appear during this period. Speaking about them clearly helps distinguish distressing but common experiences from symptoms that require more urgent intervention.
How We Work
Perinatal therapy attends to the immediate reality of your life rather than expecting ideal conditions for reflection. Sessions may focus on regulation during overwhelm, the impact of birth or feeding experiences, changes in your relationship, or the identity conflict that follows becoming responsible for someone who needs you so completely.
We use cognitive, somatic, and parts-based approaches according to what is most useful, with particular care not to turn therapy into another standard you feel you are failing to meet.
What Sessions Are Like
The work is paced around your current capacity. Virtual sessions can make access easier when leaving home is difficult, and conversations can accommodate the unpredictability of caring for an infant.
The therapist will ask directly about safety and symptoms because perinatal distress deserves careful attention, but you will not be judged for describing thoughts or feelings that frighten you.
When More Urgent Care Is Needed
Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, severe confusion, loss of contact with reality, or rapid deterioration require immediate assessment and a higher level of care. In those situations, we will help connect you with appropriate urgent resources rather than attempting to manage the risk through routine outpatient therapy.
Beginning Therapy
A free consultation allows you to describe what has changed and ask whether the clinician's perinatal focus fits your needs. You do not need a formal diagnosis to begin the conversation.
Clinical notice: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are in crisis, contact 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline at 9-8-8 immediately.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. KDW offers pregnancy and postpartum therapy in person at our London office and virtually across Ontario.
Yes. Anxiety, low mood, intrusive thoughts, and identity shifts are common in the perinatal period. They are treatable and not a sign of failure.
Intrusive thoughts are common in the postpartum period and do not mean you would act on them. Speaking about them with a clinician who understands perinatal mental health can reduce the shame surrounding them and help you understand what is happening.
Virtual sessions make this much easier, and we recognize that life with a new baby is unpredictable. Talk to your therapist about what works for you.
Yes. We support people during pregnancy, postpartum, and early parenthood, including those navigating grief, loss, or difficult experiences.
Yes. Your privacy is protected under PHIPA, with the standard legal and safety exceptions explained at the outset.
If you are experiencing thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, or more acute symptoms, we will help you access appropriate, timely care and be clear about what is needed.
Book a free 15-minute consultation through our Jane App booking page to ask questions and decide whether to start.
Who you'd work with
Our therapy team
Perinatal work at KDW is led by Jessica Gicala, who focuses on pregnancy, postpartum, and the identity shifts of early parenthood. Fit is confirmed during your free consultation.
How we'd work
Regulated, insurance-friendly care
Our clinicians are Registered Psychotherapists and a Registered Social Worker, regulated under The College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario and the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. Receipts are provided for extended health and insurance reimbursement, coverage varies by plan, so confirm with your provider.
Speak with a therapist
Schedule a brief consultation to discuss your goals and determine whether our approach is the appropriate fit.