Nobody tells you how lonely the first year with a baby can be. The exhaustion is expected. The crying jags, the intrusive thoughts, the guilt about not feeling what you think you are supposed to feel: those blindside people, and they are far more common than most new parents realize.

More than "baby blues"

Postpartum depression is one of the most common complications of childbirth, and it does not only affect mothers. Fathers and partners develop it too. Typical signs include persistent low mood or numbness, anxiety that will not switch off, sleep trouble beyond what the baby causes, appetite changes, irritability, and pulling away from people. When any of that lasts more than a couple of weeks, it deserves treatment, not white-knuckling.

How BCB helps

Therapy gives the sleep-deprived brain somewhere to put it all down. Sessions are practical and judgment-free: stabilizing mood, quieting intrusive thoughts, rebuilding the couple's teamwork under the new workload, and, where a hard birth left its mark, processing that experience with EMDR. Biofeedback and HeartMath help parents whose stress shows up physically.

Jessica Couey, who focuses on perinatal mental health, sees new parents by video across Oregon, which matters when leaving the house with a newborn feels like a military operation. In-person sessions are available at the Bend office.

Reaching out

Call (541) 550-7940 or message through the BCB Therapy profile. Bring the baby to the video call if you need to. Everyone here has seen it, and no one minds.