Anxiety Therapy for New Moms Who Feel Overwhelmed, Exhausted, or Lost

in Campbell, CA, and online throughout California

You are exhausted in a way that sleep does not fix. Your body stays alert, even when the house is quiet. When your baby cries, your heart races before you have time to think. You move through the dark on instinct, soothing, rocking, pacing, until your baby finally settles. When the crying stops, your body does not automatically relax. It stays tense, in a high-alert, fight-or-flight state.

Days blur together. Meals are forgotten. Showers feel optional. Messages from your life before baby go unanswered because you do not know how to explain this version of yourself. When you look in the mirror, you barely recognize who you see. Self-judgment comes quickly, even though you are doing so much.

At night, when the house is finally calm, your mind keeps going. Thoughts loop. You may tell yourself you should be handling this better, but underneath that voice is your nervous system, constantly activated.

Anxiety and the Nervous System in Early Motherhood

For many new moms, transition into motherhood is overwhelming, isolating, and emotionally draining. If you notice your heart racing when your baby cries, feel constantly “on,” or lie awake replaying worries, your body is doing its best to protect you. Anxiety, intrusive thoughts, irritability, or numbness are not proof that you are a bad mom—they are signs that your nervous system has been overwhelmed by pregnancy, birth, medical interventions, NICU stays, or the huge responsibility of caring for a baby.

Therapy That Centers You, Your Nervous System, and Your Relationship With Your Baby

I’m Estelle, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Campbell, Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional, and Certified Parental Brain Educator. I support mothers navigating anxiety, traumatic birth or NICU experiences, identity shifts, and the invisible load of early motherhood—the transition known as matrescence.

In our sessions, we use IFS (parts work) to gently understand the different parts of you—the worried one, the exhausted one, the one holding everything together—so none have to carry things alone. Nothing is rushed or judged; we focus on helping your body, brain, and nervous system feel safer and more grounded through realistic, compassionate support.

My holistic lens, shaped by my background as a pediatric nurse, considers sleep, movement, recovery, and other daily factors that influence well-being.

As a bilingual, bicultural therapist from France, I provide culturally attuned care and can offer sessions in French.

Supporting you means supporting your baby. Together, we focus on fostering a real, responsive, and “good enough” connection—not perfection.

You Lead the Work, and We Move at a Pace That Feels Safe

You do not have to come in with a plan or the “right” words. Each week, you get to decide what feels most pressing—whether that is today’s meltdown, a difficult birth memory, or the pressure you feel from family or culture. We will move slowly enough for your system to keep up, checking in regularly to ensure you feel safe and supported. Many moms find that, over time, they feel less reactive, more present with their babies, and more like themselves again—not because life is perfect, but because they feel more grounded inside.

From a systemic lens, we also look at expectations, roles, cultural messages, partnership dynamics, and support systems around you. The focus is not just on you as an individual, but on the environment you are parenting within. Healing happens through safety and relationship, not pressure.

Many of my clients come weekly, especially at the beginning, so they receive consistent support and can move beyond feeling constantly in crisis. Over time, clients often notice they feel less reactive, more connected to their babies, and more trusting of themselves. They begin to feel they are living their lives again, rather than merely surviving each day.

Babies Are Welcome in Therapy

You do not need childcare to come to sessions, and you do not need to show up calm, organized, or well-rested. Feeding, rocking, soothing, or taking breaks during sessions are all welcome. These moments are not interruptions. They are part of the work and often offer important insight into co-regulation and attachment. Supporting your nervous system supports your baby, too.

Sometimes your baby’s presence helps us notice attachment patterns, nervous system responses, and moments of connection in real time. Other times, therapy is simply a place where you do not have to choose between caring for your baby and caring for yourself.

Parenting does not always come naturally, and babies do not come with manuals. If you are struggling, it does not mean you are not meant for this. It means you are human and deserve support that focuses on you, not just on how you perform as a parent.

If you are looking for perinatal anxiety therapy in Campbell, postpartum support, or a therapist who understands the emotional and physical realities of early motherhood, you do not have to do this alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you feel overwhelmed, anxious, numb, irritable, disconnected, or like you are not yourself since becoming pregnant or having a baby, therapy can help. You do not need to be in crisis to reach out.
No. I work with anxiety, trauma, adjustment, identity shifts, birth trauma, NICU experiences, and the emotional complexity of becoming a parent during pregnancy and after birth.
It means you decide what we focus on and how fast we move. We follow your nervous system and check in regularly to ensure the work feels supportive and safe.
Yes. I integrate IFS or parts-oriented work in a gentle, accessible way, especially when anxiety, inner conflict, or self-judgment are present.
You are not alone. I have experience supporting parents after traumatic births and NICU stays, and we will move at a pace that feels right for you.
Many clients start with weekly sessions for consistent support, especially during early parenthood.
Yes. We may explore how sleep, movement, food intake, and nervous system regulation impact mood and anxiety.
Yes. I offer therapy in English and French.
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