While Becoming a Parent, Give Yourself Some Space Too
Postpartum Counselling
Vancouver & Richmond Counselling
In-person counselling in Vancouver ·
Online counselling across BC
Language: English · Cantonese · Mandarin
After your baby is born, life may suddenly become very different.
You may love your child very much, while at the same time feeling tired, anxious, lost, or even a little unfamiliar with who you are now. Lack of sleep, changes in your daily rhythm, physical recovery, feeding, family relationships, and this new identity of becoming a mother or father can all bring more emotions than you may have expected.
Postpartum counselling can give you a space of your own to sort through the changes you are experiencing, understand your emotions and needs, and slowly reconnect with yourself.
You do not need to immediately know what you are supposed to do just because you have become a parent.
Honouring Your Postpartum Experience
Everyone's postpartum experience is different.
Some people adjust to their new life quickly, while others need more time. You may have looked forward to becoming a parent, yet find the experience more difficult than you imagined. You may also feel that you “should” be happy, while at the same time experiencing tiredness, anxiety, sadness, frustration, or guilt.
Sometimes, what is most difficult is not one particular thing, but that many small changes in life are happening at the same time.
"You can love your child and still find it hard."
"You can feel happy and still have moments
when you feel unhappy."
These feelings do not have to contradict each other.
Counselling is not about helping you become a “better parent.” It is about giving you a space where you do not have to play any role, so that you can understand what you are going through.
What Might Be Happening Postpartum?
Life after giving birth may come with tiredness, anxiety, changes in mood, feelings of loss, or doubts about yourself.
After becoming a parent, your life may almost completely revolve around your child. Gradually, you may begin to ask:
After a child is born, the way partners relate to each other often changes. Lack of sleep, division of household responsibilities, parenting approaches, and different expectations can all lead to friction.
“Am I doing enough?”
“Why does it seem like other people can manage, but I am finding this so hard?”
After giving birth, it is easy to place more expectations on yourself. Together, we can look at where these thoughts come from and how you can relate to yourself in a way that is more supportive.
Emotional and Physical Changes
Identity and Sense of Self
Partner and Family Relationships
Guilt and Self-Criticism
How I Support Your
Postpartum Journey
Give You a Space to Catch Your Breath
Before taking care of your baby and dealing with your family's needs, you also deserve a place where you can first take care of your own feelings.
Understand Your Emotions and Reactions
Together, we can sort through anxiety, guilt, sadness, anger, or exhaustion, and understand what these feelings may be telling you.
Rediscover Yourself
Becoming a parent may change the way you see yourself, your life, and your future. We can slowly explore:
“What do I need now?”
Take Care of Yourself While Taking Care of Your Child
Taking care of yourself does not mean that you love your child any less. Together, we can find a way that allows you to care for your family while also keeping space for yourself.
Who Is Postpartum Counselling For?
Postpartum Anxiety & Emotional Changes
Experiencing anxiety, low mood, or feeling easily unsettled after giving birth.
Fatigue & Stress
Feeling persistently exhausted, overwhelmed by stress, and unable to truly rest.
Guilt & Self-Criticism
Feeling guilty or uncertain about how you are doing as a parent.
Changes in Identity & Daily Life
Feeling that you have lost your previous way of life or sense of identity.
Partner & Family Relationships
Experiencing conflict with your partner around parenting, household responsibilities, or daily routines.
Reconnecting with Yourself
Feeling lost or uncertain about life after becoming a parent, or wanting to reconnect with yourself, your partner, or your life.
You do not necessarily need to have a clearly defined problem to deserve support.
Sometimes, simply feeling:
“I feel like I am a little different now.”
can also be a beginning.
A Space Where You Can Be Yourself
Hello, I’m Jessy Lok, a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in British Columbia.
I believe counselling is not only about addressing the difficulties in front of us. It is also a space where we can slow down and understand ourselves again.
I will accompany you with warmth, sincerity, and without judgment, as we explore the emotions, stress, changes in identity, and relationship changes that can come with postpartum life.
After becoming a parent, it is easy for our attention to focus on our child, and we may even forget that we also need to be cared for.
Here, you do not have to be only a “mom” or “dad.”
You can simply be yourself.
Becoming a Parent Is
an Ongoing Journey
Postpartum is not a stage that you need to “adjust to as quickly as possible.”
As your child grows, you will continue to change as well. Your needs, identity, relationships, and way of living may all need to be adjusted again and again.
Counselling can be one of the spaces where you can pause, understand yourself, and begin again.
If you are preparing to become a parent, you can also explore:
You Can Love Your Child and Take Care of Yourself Too
Becoming a parent is a profound life transition.
You do not have to carry everything on your own, and you do not have to wait until you “cannot hold on anymore” before seeking support.
If you would like a place to sort through what you are feeling,
I would be happy to listen to your story.
In-person counselling in Vancouver · Online counselling across BC
English · Cantonese · Mandarin