Birth Feelings

A safe space for all your birth feelings.

Birth is more than a medical event. It's an emotional and transformative experience that stays with you long after delivery. Yet so many women leave the birth room feeling dismissed, disempowered, or even traumatized.

For many, those feelings don't simply fade with time. They can stay with you weeks or even years postpartum, showing up as anxiety that won't quiet, depression that feels hard to name, or a growing sense of overwhelm in motherhood that feels difficult to keep up with.

Here, your story matters. Your feelings are valid. And healing is possible.

Book a Free 15-Min Consultation Start Your Healing Journey

Compassionate Birth Therapy ✦ Heal Your Past ✦ Embrace Your Present ✦ Empower Your Future ✦ Birth Trauma Therapy ✦ Postpartum Support ✦ EMDR for Mothers ✦ Santa Monica, CA ✦ Compassionate Birth Therapy ✦ Heal Your Past ✦ Embrace Your Present ✦ Empower Your Future ✦ Birth Trauma Therapy ✦ Postpartum Support ✦ EMDR for Mothers ✦ Santa Monica, CA ✦

Dr. Rebecca Branda, licensed psychologist and perinatal mental health specialist, Birth Feelings Santa Monica CA

Your Therapist

Meet Dr. Rebecca Branda

What I've Come to Understand

I'm Dr. Branda, a licensed clinical psychologist and perinatal mental health certified clinician based in Santa Monica, California. My work combines clinical expertise with a deep understanding of the emotional complexity that surrounds pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

My own journey into parenthood began with an emergency C-section, followed by a successful VBAC. Experiencing both sides of that journey gave me profound insight into the importance of supportive guidance and the empowerment that comes from reclaiming your voice in birth.

How I Work With Mothers

Through individual therapy, trauma-informed care, EMDR, and birth coaching, I support women in healing from difficult birth experiences, navigating postpartum depression and anxiety, and making sense of the identity shifts that come with becoming a mother. My role is to provide a safe, compassionate space where your feelings are validated, your story is honored, and your healing can begin.

PsyD, George Washington University • PMH-C, Postpartum Support International

EMDR Trained, Institute for Creative Mindfulness • Licensed in CA and IL

Services

ADHD Assessment

If you've spent years feeling overwhelmed or like you're constantly falling behind, you're not alone. We provide ADHD assessments for adults with a focus on women navigating motherhood and the demands of parenthood.

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Postpartum depression and anxiety therapy, Birth Feelings Santa Monica

Postpartum Depression & Anxiety

Postpartum depression affects approximately 1 in 7 new mothers. It's not a character flaw or something to simply push through. It's a medical condition with effective treatment pathways, and you deserve real support.

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Anxiety Therapy

Whether your anxiety is tied to your birth experience, your baby's safety, or a growing sense that something isn't right, therapy offers a space to understand what's driving it and find a way through.

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CBT Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy works by identifying the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. At Birth Feelings, CBT is a core part of how we work with anxiety during pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and the transition into parenthood.

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ADHD Therapy

At Birth Feelings, ADHD therapy is designed for women and mothers navigating the complex relationship between an ADHD mind and the demands of modern parenthood. You don't need a formal diagnosis to begin.

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Birth Feelings

Where Healing Meets Understanding

At Birth Feelings, we believe that what you feel before, during, and after birth matters as much as the medical experience itself. Birth feelings are real. They deserve to be held with care, not dismissed with "at least your baby is healthy."

The work we do together isn't just about symptom relief. It's about helping you feel more whole, more grounded, and more connected to yourself as a mother and as a person. You don't have to keep carrying this alone.

Book a Free Consultation

Birth Feelings perinatal mental health, Santa Monica

The Birth Feelings Difference

Expert

Led by Dr. Rebecca Branda, PsyD, PMH-C, with advanced training and certification in perinatal mental health through Postpartum Support International.
Compassionate

You'll never be dismissed, minimized, or told to "just move on." Your experience is taken seriously and met with genuine care.
Trauma-Informed

Care is adapted to your capacity, your history, and your nervous system, not a standardized checklist. This is where healing begins.
Virtual Plus Session

Sessions designed to meet you where you are, whether in person in Santa Monica or online throughout California and Illinois.
Attunement Approach

Therapy that goes beyond symptom relief to meaningful change in how you feel, think, and move through motherhood.

Begin Your Healing

Book an Appointment

Your birth story doesn't just happen the day your baby was born. It ripples through your identity as a mother, your relationships, and your sense of self.

By addressing your experience now, you open the door to deep healing for yourself, your family, and your future. You deserve to feel whole, supported, and confident. Let's begin.

Book a Free 15-Min Consultation Send a Message

Free Resource

The Well Mother Checklist

The Well Mother Checklist is a gentle, research-informed self-assessment designed to help you explore how birth trauma may be showing up in your life. It can guide you toward greater understanding and help you decide if EMDR therapy or another healing path is right for you.

You do not have to navigate this journey alone.

Start Here

Weekly Reflections

Birth Feelings on Substack

Each week on my Substack, I write about the emotional and psychological layers of birth and motherhood: how it can heal us, hurt us, and change who we are. For mothers navigating the tender terrain of postpartum life, and for anyone who supports them.

Postpartum emotions (anxiety, depression, and rage)
Birth trauma and how to begin healing
Attachment and bonding after birth
Choices in birth and what you can advocate for
Support in partnership and in community
High-risk, IVF, or complicated journeys
Reclaiming identity and trust in your body
The mental load of motherhood and emotional overwhelm

Written by Dr. Rebecca Branda, a psychologist and mother who's lived it, studied it, and continues to grow through it. New posts every Thursday morning.

Subscribe to Birth Feelings

Birth Feelings on Substack, weekly reflections on birth and postpartum mental health

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Weekly reflections on birth, postpartum, and the emotional experience of motherhood. New posts every Thursday morning.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Birth Feelings, and what kind of therapy do you offer?

Birth Feelings is a perinatal mental health practice in Santa Monica, California, led by Dr. Rebecca Branda, Licensed Psychologist (PsyD). We specialize in therapy for women navigating the emotional experiences of pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period, with a particular focus on birth trauma, postpartum depression and anxiety, ADHD assessment and therapy, and CBT. Our primary treatment modalities include EMDR therapy and trauma-informed care grounded in perinatal mental health.

What is birth trauma, and how do I know if I experienced it?

Birth trauma is a psychological response to a birth experience that felt frightening, out of control, or overwhelming, regardless of the medical outcome. It can show up in subtle ways. Maybe you find yourself replaying moments from your birth. Maybe you feel numb or disconnected when the subject comes up. Maybe you're struggling to bond with your baby, or noticing that something feels unresolved weeks or months later. It can happen after any type of birth, including births that were medically successful.

What is the difference between the baby blues and postpartum depression?

The baby blues are a common, short-term emotional adjustment affecting many women in the first one to two weeks after birth. They typically include tearfulness, mood fluctuations, and mild anxiety, and they resolve on their own. Postpartum depression is different. It is more intense, lasts longer, and interferes with daily functioning. If feelings of sadness, disconnection, guilt, or anxiety persist beyond two weeks or feel overwhelming at any point, reaching out to a perinatal mental health specialist is the right step.

Do I need a formal ADHD diagnosis to start therapy?

No. Many women who work with Birth Feelings come without a formal ADHD diagnosis. What brings them is recognition: a set of patterns that finally sounds like their experience. If you've spent years feeling constantly behind, overwhelmed, or like the demands of motherhood are harder for you than for others, that's a valid place to begin. An assessment can be arranged if you'd like formal clarity, but it isn't required to start therapy.

Does Birth Feelings accept insurance?

How do I get started?

Birth Feelings does not provide emergency mental health services. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) or your nearest emergency room.