• Are you struggling to cope with the emotional demands of mother/fatherhood?

• Do you have a low mood, feelings of being unable to cope and/or difficulty sleeping?

• Are you taking little or no pleasure in doing things that normally make you happy?

• Do you have confusing feelings towards your infant that you are scared to talk to anyone about?

• Or perhaps you are pregnant and worried about how you feel about your developing child?

I am passionate about early intervention and have a specialist interest in Parent Infant bonding and offer sessions for mums (and Dads/Carers) who would like to learn more about having a positive relationship with their baby. This of course starts with feeling positive about yourself so your emotional health would be a large part of what we focus on.The therapy sessions would ideally be with with you and your child together, in a safe, confidential and nurturing space where you can explore your feelings and not be judged or told what to do.

There are numerous reasons why you may be feeling low and perhaps finding it difficult to bond with your child. Perhaps you are suffering from Post Natal Depression and/or had a difficult birth. Equally you were not adequately nurtured yourself when young this may affect how you react to your own children. The physical and emotional stress of looking after a baby or hormonal changes can also affect how you are feeling alongside financial worries, lack of support or relationship difficulties. Or you may have adopted or fostered a young child and are struggling to bond with it.

It's almost taboo to admit to negative feelings towards your child but is more widespread than you may think and you do not have to worry in silence. Post Natal Depression is particularly more common than most people realise — it is thought up to 1 in 5 new mothers suffer from it rising to 1 in 3 if you are in your teens. Young mums have added pressures to deal with and may be more reluctant to admit they are not coping well than older mums.

However it is important for your child and for yourself to seek help and support if you are worried at all about how you are feeling. A child's physical development within the first 2 years of life is easy to witness but an infant's mental health is just as important, if not more so. The experiences it has are literally imprinted on its brain, making its mental health extremely important in the development of who that child will become as a human being.

Plus of course your emotional health and happiness is hugely important too. Being a parent can be incredibly rewarding and fun and you deserve to enjoy the experience as much as you are able. You and your baby will affect each other's moods and if you are more relaxed and less anxious so will your baby be. This in turn will make your life easier as your baby should sleep, behave and eat better creating a more fulfilling relationship between the two of you.