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Pregnancy is often viewed primarily through the lens of physical health, but mental and emotional wellness are equally critical for both parents and children. Parental mental health significantly influences the growth and development of a baby and recognizing the signs of emotional struggles during pregnancy is crucial.
Depression symptoms during pregnancy ― such as tiredness, emotional fluctuations and changes in appetite or sleep patterns ― can be mistakenly brushed off as typical pregnancy experiences. However, research1 clearly shows that prenatal experiences significantly affect a child's development, shaping their future emotional and psychological health. This understanding underscores the need for timely and compassionate mental health interventions for parents.
Interventions may include:
- Identifying and treating prenatal and postpartum depression, conditions frequently overlooked in both mothers and fathers.
- Helping new mothers recognize and enhance the early emotional connections with their infants, strengthening lifelong bonds.
- Supporting parents in understanding psychiatric medication, weighing the needs of maternal mental health with concerns for the developing child.
- Assisting families in managing stress associated with medically complicated pregnancies and births, including navigating extended stays in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
At Phoenix Children’s, our comprehensive approach in perinatal and infant mental health means addressing these challenges by treating families as interconnected units, rather than isolated individuals. The development of our Center for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health stems from the recognition that mental wellness during pregnancy ― especially in medically complex cases ― profoundly impacts family relationships, setting the stage for healthier futures.
The significance of perinatal mental health has long been recognized. The International Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health, established in 1980, highlights the historic awareness of these challenges. Notably, psychiatrist Dr. Zachary Stowe emphasized shifting concerns from the risks of medication to the consequences of untreated mental illness during pregnancy, stating, “I have spent the last 10 years of my career worrying about the impact of medications. I’ve been wrong. I should have been worrying more about the impact of illness.”
Ultimately, our goal aligns with the golden rule of postpartum support: “Every baby deserves a healthy parent, and every parent deserves to enjoy parenthood.” At Phoenix Children’s, we’re committed to guiding families toward stronger emotional connections, healthier outcomes, and joyful experiences from the earliest possible moments.
Why We Do This Work
Our dedication to perinatal and infant mental health comes from deeply personal insights and professional experiences. Working initially with older adults in hospice care and later with adolescents facing early life trauma highlighted a profound truth—addressing emotional health must begin at the earliest stages of life. Supporting parents during pregnancy and early childhood became clear as the most impactful strategy to break cycles of hardship and trauma, ensuring healthier generations ahead.
Our Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Team
“My passion for supporting families during pregnancy and early childhood began in a backward fashion. In graduate school I completed a yearlong practicum in hospice care, working primarily with a geriatric population. Most of my patients were nearing the end of their lives and much of our therapeutic focus involved a review of their lifetime. Among the remarkable reflections of personal achievement surfaced frequent recollections of hardship, addiction, regret, etc. Hoping to guide individuals earlier through life’s inevitable difficulties, I then began working with children. As with the older patients, many of the adolescents referred to my practice were already knee-deep in maladaptive patterns of behavior and intergenerational trauma. Soon, I learned that my ideal approach to helping individuals lead healthy and happy lives meant starting from the foundation: the parent-child relationship. I was only beginning to understand the true power of the parent-child connection, which ultimately begins long before the baby is even born.”
– Kari Millican, MA, LPC
“When I was in middle school, I dreamt of becoming an OBGYN. I loved babies and thought welcoming them into the world and supporting their parents would be a worthwhile career. Much to my chagrin, I learned that my strengths did not lie in biology. While this led to me reconsidering my career path, my passion for the population always remained. As I started my career as a social worker, I found myself interested in the intersection of mental health and healthcare which led me to apply for my clinical internship at Phoenix Children’s. I fully anticipated working with children, so I was surprised and pleased when I was selected to work in the NICU and the Center for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health. It felt like a full circle moment. It was the work I did with those families during my internship that confirmed my desire to practice therapy and unlocked a passion for the perinatal population. It was an honor to come back and accept a full-time role as a perinatal mental health therapist.
Families whose babies have various medical needs face unique challenges that can exacerbate the already difficult transition of parenthood. Parents of babies with medical challenging are at greater risk of experiencing anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress. Our program allows these families to have support from diagnosis prenatally, through hospitalization, and throughout the first year of baby’s life. By caring for parents’ emotional health, we support the vital attachment relationship between infant and caregiver.”
– Shantel Hinnen, LCSW, PMH-C
1 Howard LM, Khalifeh H. Perinatal mental health: a review of progress and challenges. World Psychiatry. 2020 Oct;19(3):313-327. doi: 10.1002/wps.20769. PMID: 32931106; PMCID: PMC7491613.