For more than two decades, childbirth and maternal mental health have been central to my professional work. My approach brings together psychotherapy, childbirth education, birth work, trauma, attachment and nervous-system-informed practice to explore maternal mental health within the broader experience of pregnancy, birth, postpartum and identity transformation.
Maternal mental health cannot be separated from the experience of childbirth.
Pregnancy, birth and postpartum are profound periods of biological, psychological, relational and identity transition.
Yet maternal mental health is often understood primarily through symptoms—anxiety, depression, trauma, overwhelm—without enough attention to the experiences that may be shaping them.
- Birth experiences.
- Attachment and relationship.
- Nervous-system adaptation.
- Previous trauma.
- Loss of identity and changing roles.
- The transition into motherhood itself.
- Cultural impact.
A childbirth-informed approach asks us to look beyond symptoms and become curious about the larger context in which maternal distress emerges.
Childbirth is not simply a medical event surrounding maternal mental health. It can be part of the psychological story itself.
Â
My work in this field brings together more than two decades of experience across childbirth education, birth work, maternal mental health and psychotherapy—with trauma-, attachment- and nervous-system-informed perspectives.
Meet Jennifer
Psychotherapist • Educator • Author • Clinician-Researcher
For more than two decades, my professional work has been deeply rooted in childbirth and maternal mental health.
My path into this field began through childbirth education, doula work and two direct-entry midwifery apprenticeships, where I became interested not only in the physiology of birth, but in the profound psychological, relational and identity transitions surrounding pregnancy, childbirth and becoming a mother.
I later trained as a psychotherapist, bringing together my background in childbirth with trauma, attachment, nervous-system-informed practice and maternal mental health.
I am the author of Healing After Birth and Midwifery for the Soul, and have developed clinical and educational frameworks for understanding birth trauma, maternal distress and psychological recovery after childbirth.
Today, this work continues through psychotherapy, professional mentorship, education, writing and research—with a particular interest in advancing childbirth-informed approaches to perinatal mental health.
“To understand maternal mental health, we must also understand the experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and becoming a mother.”
A Childbirth-Informed Approach
Â
Childbirth-informed perinatal mental health asks us to understand pregnancy, birth and postpartum not simply as the context surrounding psychological wellbeing, but as experiences that can actively shape it.
Â
My approach considers the interconnected influences of trauma and attachment, nervous-system adaptation, the birth experience, identity, relationships, previous life experiences, expectations of motherhood, and the transition into becoming a parent.
This perspective does not replace established approaches to perinatal mental health. It adds another layer of inquiry:
What happened during the childbearing experience—and how might that experience still be shaping what is happening now?
Â
Areas of Focus
A childbirth-informed perspective considers the many ways pregnancy, birth and postpartum experiences can intersect with psychological wellbeing, relationships, identity and the nervous system.
Â
Â
Birth Trauma & Difficult Birth Experiences
Processing experiences of birth that felt frightening, overwhelming, disempowering, unexpected or unresolved.
Pregnancy & Postpartum Mental Health
Understanding anxiety, depression, overwhelm, emotional distress and adjustment within the broader context of the childbearing experience.
Attachment & Bonding
Exploring how birth, trauma, nervous-system states and relational experiences can influence connection with baby, self and others.
Nervous System & Trauma Responses
Understanding protective responses that may persist after pregnancy, childbirth or other significant perinatal experiences.
Identity & the Transition to Motherhood
Making space for the psychological and existential changes that can accompany becoming a mother.
Previous Trauma & Attachment History
Exploring how earlier experiences can become activated or reorganized through pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum.
Grief, Loss & Unmet Expectations
Supporting experiences of reproductive loss, difficult transitions, and the grief that can accompany a childbearing experience that unfolded differently than hoped.
Recovery, Meaning & Transformation
Moving beyond symptom reduction toward integration, meaning-making, restored capacity and the possibility of growth following difficult experiences.
Â
Resources & Contributions
For more than two decades, I have been writing, teaching and speaking about childbirth, maternal mental health, trauma and the psychological experience of becoming a mother. Explore some of the resources and conversations that have shaped this body of work.
Healing After Birth
Book + associated resources
A childbirth-informed exploration of psychological recovery following difficult or traumatic birth, offering a framework for understanding the emotional aftermath of childbirth and pathways toward healing.
Motherhood Musings
Reflections and essays exploring birth, trauma, attachment, maternal wellbeing and the psychological transformation of becoming a mother.
Essays on childbirth, maternal mental health & motherhood
Â
Â
The Therapy Map™ / IPTR Model
Professional framework
An integrative perinatal trauma recovery model developed to help practitioners conceptualize the interconnected influences of childbirth, trauma, attachment, nervous-system responses and maternal psychological wellbeing.
