The Woman Within Motherhood

Motherhood changes more than your daily routine. It can reshape your identity, relationships, emotional needs, and the way you experience yourself.

For some, this transition brings joy alongside unexpected grief, uncertainty, or emotional exhaustion. For others, pregnancy, childbirth, or the postpartum period can surface anxiety, depression, unresolved trauma, or feelings that are difficult to put into words.

You may love your children deeply and still miss who you were before becoming a mother. You may feel grateful for your family while struggling with the expectations and responsibilities placed upon you.

These experiences can exist together. They do not diminish your love or your worth as a mother.

At BeUTherapy, we offer a compassionate, culturally responsive space to explore the emotional and psychological experiences of motherhood, reconnect with your sense of self, and receive support through pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond.

You Can Love Motherhood and Still Find It Difficult

Maternal mental health challenges do not always look like sadness or an inability to bond with your baby. Sometimes, distress appears in the ways you’ve learned to keep functioning.

You may recognize yourself in experiences such as:

  • Feeling overwhelmed, overstimulated, or emotionally exhausted
  • Experiencing anxiety, intrusive thoughts, or persistent worry about your baby or family
  • Feeling disconnected from your identity beyond motherhood
  • Navigating guilt, shame, resentment, or pressure to be the perfect mother
  • Struggling with postpartum depression, sadness, or emotional numbness
  • Processing a difficult pregnancy, traumatic birth, or unexpected delivery experience
  • Feeling unsupported, isolated, or misunderstood within your relationships
  • Grieving the life, independence, or expectations you held before motherhood
  • Experiencing difficulty setting boundaries or expressing your own needs
  • Carrying unresolved childhood experiences into your parenting journey

You deserve support as a whole person, not only in your role as a mother.

Becoming a Mother Without Losing Yourself

Who am I now?

Motherhood can introduce a version of yourself you’ve never known while changing the relationship you have with the person you were before.

The transition into motherhood, sometimes described as matrescence, involves psychological, emotional, relational, and identity changes that can continue long after the postpartum period.

You may find yourself questioning your priorities, grieving aspects of your former life, or struggling to identify your own needs outside the needs of your family.

At BeUTherapy, we create space to explore these shifts without judgment.

Together, we examine the expectations you’ve internalized, the experiences that shape your parenting, and the parts of yourself that may have become less visible.

The goal is not to return to the woman you were before motherhood. It’s to discover how every part of you can have a place in who you are becoming.

Care That Recognizes The Whole Woman 

Motherhood does not exist separately from your history, relationships, culture, identity, or emotional well-being. Your experiences deserve to be understood within the full context of your life.

At BeUTherapy, maternal mental health care is collaborative, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed.

Founded by Destiny Howell, LCSW, our practice integrates therapeutic approaches based on your individual needs and treatment goals.

Treatment may incorporate:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Exploring patterns of worry, self-criticism, guilt, and negative beliefs.
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Developing skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and communication.
  • Attachment-Based Interventions: Understanding relational patterns, early experiences, and emotional connections that may influence motherhood.
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Processing distressing or traumatic experiences, including birth-related trauma, when clinically appropriate.
  • Parts Work: Exploring the internal experiences, protective responses, and conflicting emotions that can emerge during motherhood.
  • Acceptance-Based & Mindfulness Approaches: Supporting self-compassion, emotional awareness, and values-aligned decision-making.

Our work may also include practical coping strategies, building support systems, strengthening boundaries, and reconnecting with your individual needs.

You are not expected to have every answer. Therapy offers space to begin exploring the questions.

Online Maternal Mental Health Therapy in California

BeUTherapy is a Woodland Hills-based psychotherapy practice offering secure virtual therapy for adults throughout California.

We support women navigating pregnancy, postpartum experiences, maternal identity shifts, anxiety, depression, birth-related trauma, and the emotional complexities of parenting.

Virtual therapy offers a flexible way to prioritize your emotional well-being while navigating the responsibilities and transitions of motherhood.

Whether you’re preparing for your first child, adjusting to postpartum life, or rediscovering yourself years into motherhood, your mental health deserves attention and care.

FAQ

Is it normal to feel like I've lost myself after becoming a mother?

Changes in identity, priorities, relationships, and emotional needs are common during the transition into motherhood. Therapy can provide space to explore these experiences and reconnect with your sense of self.

Can I experience postpartum depression or anxiety even if I love my baby?

Yes. Postpartum depression and anxiety can occur regardless of how much you love or care for your baby. These conditions deserve compassionate assessment and appropriate treatment.

Do I have to be recently postpartum to receive maternal mental health therapy?

No. Maternal mental health concerns and identity changes can emerge during pregnancy, shortly after childbirth, or years into parenting. Therapy can be helpful at different stages of motherhood.

What if I'm struggling with intrusive thoughts after having a baby?

Intrusive thoughts can occur in postpartum anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, among other conditions. A qualified professional can help assess their nature, impact, and appropriate treatment. If you are experiencing an urge or intention to harm yourself or your baby, seek immediate emergency evaluation

Can therapy help me process a traumatic birth experience?

Yes. Therapy can help individuals process distressing birth experiences and related emotional responses. EMDR may be considered when clinically appropriate

Do you provide therapy online?

Yes. BeUTherapy offers virtual psychotherapy to eligible adults located in California at the time of their appointments.