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Birth and Beyond

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Birth and Beyond

Counselling for Pregnancy and Parenthood, support for bonding and developing confidence.

Birth and Beyond is committed to helping mothers and fathers enjoy being parents as much as possible, and giving their baby the best start. This involves supporting parents in all aspects of the transition from pregnancy into early parenthood and beyond.

27/02/2026

Our own behaviour can confuse and upset us at times, especially when we can see how difficult it is for the people around us.

We might struggle to explain because we don’t really understand ourselves either. It doesn’t seem reasonable or rational.

But there might be a different way to understand it…

New post - check my bio.

22/02/2026

We know that who we surround ourselves with has a massive impact on who we become.

I hated running as a kid and sports were never part of my family dynamic, but I’ve ended up surrounded by people who see it as something that you might just do for fun.

That’s not entirely by accident.

Yet we can have an idea that all new mums are going to be the same, feel the same, experience motherhood the same way. We go to groups and wonder why we don’t ’fit in’ - and sometimes that can make us feel as though there’s something wrong with US. When maybe they’re not the folk you want to surround yourself with.

Maybe you feel too naughty, too sad, too happy, too reflective, too much?

It’s not always possible to find people around that are going to be your ‘tribe’ but it can help if you know that doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with you.

16/02/2026

My analyst is moving offices today, and I have been noticing all the feelings that come up for me around the change. The sense of loss, the anger that it wasn’t my choice, the curiosity about what this change might bring.

I’ve been surprised by what is has evoked, memories that I didn’t realise still had any emotion attached. A bit of a process!

And of course, becoming a parent involves SO many changes - changes to our sense of self, our bodies, our relationships with others - and we don’t always realise what those changes might bring up.

Change is destabilising, and having a sense of what helps us move through all those emotions can be really helpful - whether that’s having space to grieve, having people to listen, carrying something good from the old to help us through…

I’d love to hear your thoughts - what helps you get through change? Either comment or DM me, I’m all ears!

13/02/2026

‘Tell me what you need.’

Sounds good, doesn’t it. Kind, even.

But so unhelpful if you don’t actually know what you need.

How can you articulate something you don’t actually fully understand yourself?

You might try to put it in terms of actions or things (more help, a different kind of bottle/car seat/nappy) but it doesn’t feel as though it touches the sides.

If you’re struggling with this, my latest post is for you. Message me and I’ll send you the link.

02/02/2026

Are you good at sharing what you need?

Or does it feel like that might be dangerous in some way?

If you’re used to being able to meet your needs without needing anyone else, having a baby can really shake things up if you feel worried about sharing those needs with other people.

It might be an opportunity to change things…

26/01/2026

Showing up reliably.

The end of last week I had to put down my work because I was so unwell, and it got me thinking about some of our fears about not being ‘available enough’.

If you’re someone who worries you might be forgotten if you don’t constantly remind people you’re there/ perform for people, it can be so hard when you become a mum and you’re not able to show up the way you normally would. Or you might even push yourself to keep trying, rather than allowing yourself the space you need to adjust, because you worry that people will forget about you otherwise. Scared that people won’t still show up.

And we can have the same fear for our babies, that if we are not 100% completely available, they will feel devastated.

So it can be really difficult to manage the feelings that might come up if you need a break. Or if you can’t be there for some reason.

Because you might imagine that they feel as scared as you do. It might be hard to imagine that their experience might be different to yours.

And that fear might mean that you push yourself to be there, even when you need a break and someone else can provide good enough care for them. Which means you’re more likely to struggle, because it’s impossible to meet your needs when you can’t have a break. It’s an awful emotional predicament.

Whilst having a sense of our baby’s internal world is vital, if we’re projecting our own feelings on to them, it can leave us in some very difficult positions.

If you’ve got someone who can help you tease out your fears, and step back a little, that’s invaluable. They might be a friend, a family member, a health professional, a therapist - whoever has a good enough relationship with you and the ability to see how hard it is for you.

Because of course you’re terrified of your baby feeling like you do at times. It’s awful. So having someone who understands that you’re not being a martyr because it makes you feel good, but because you’re trying to escape these fears.

16/01/2026

Giving birth, like starting school, can raise all sorts of anxieties. There are so many unknowns, new experiences and people.

So what if we thought about our needs approaching birth the same way we think about the needs of kids starting school?

My thoughts are in my latest substack post - link at the top. 👆

12/01/2026

Gentle note - this post talks about suicidal thoughts.

I still remember the feeling of my first bike ride after my son was born. It was flipping magic. It was the first time I had felt like myself since becoming a mum.

And one of the feelings that we maybe don’t expect to have as a new mum is feeling trapped. But it is such a common feeling: feeling as though we have made an awful mistake and there is no way back, and having no hope for the way forward. It’s a lonely, desperate place - and at really bad times it might that there is only one way to escape these awful feelings.

I’m often asked if there is hope. If things can change. And the answer is unequivocally YES. It might take time, and it will take some support from other people (friends, family and professionals). But I have seen it happen, so I know it’s possible.

If you’re feeling trapped - I’m so sorry. It is an awful place to be. And please - get some help.

(I’d start with your GP or Health Visitor, but also from friends and family. There are online groups and private counsellors🙋🏻‍♀️. And in the worst case scenario, call 111 or go to A&E.)

09/01/2026

This is one of those posts that doesn’t really say anything new, but it’s a message that always bears repeating.

YOU ARE NOT AS S**T A PARENT AS YOU THINK YOU ARE.

Did you hear that at the back?

Obviously that’s miles easier to say than to believe, which is why I’ve put some of my thoughts in my substack post. You can find the link above…

And if you’re looking for psychotherapy or relationship counselling, I currently have two sessions available on a Wednesday and Thursday. Message me if you want to have a brief chat.

05/01/2026

What to do when you don’t know what to do?

I get it - the anxiety or terror can make you want to act, to move, to do something quickly. But sometimes doing nothing apart from just getting through each hour is maybe enough. It is maybe as much as you can do just now.

01/01/2026

Hello 2026…

I wish I had some wise words or inspiring words to share, but the best I can offer is hope.

Hope that this might be a year of emergence - that you can learn even more about the complexity (and craziness!) inside yourself and be ok with that, without judgement or shame.

Hope that you can trust that you already have what you need inside yourself, even if you don’t feel like it.

And if you need someone else to hold that hope for you, when you can’t find it yourself - I hope that you find that person/ those people.

#2026

Address

18 Pittville Street
Edinburgh
EH152BY

Opening Hours

Tuesday	9am - 9:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 4:30pm
Thursday	9am - 9:30pm
Friday	9am - 3:30pm

Website

http://www.birthandbeyond.com/

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Our Story

Many people think of postnatal depression, when they think of mums and mental health issues, but there are so many other forms of mental distress that parents can experience, and so even if you don’t think you have depression, it’s always worth trying to get support to feel better.

I have a background in psychological and social research, so when I experienced both Postnatal Depression and Anxiety after the birth of my first child, I became fascinated with why that had happened to me and what could be done to prevent it happen. I became a counsellor in order to support other women to recover quicker, and also to raise awareness about what can cause mental health issues in the first place.

I firmly believe that people are always operating to the best of their ability, so if there is something preventing you from being the mum that you want to be, it’s not through lack of trying, it’s because something has happened that stops you from being able to be different just yet. Counselling provides a way of exploring why that might be, and therefore helps you create more choices for yourself as you see things differently.