170: Infant Mental Health

Perinatal mental health is the focus of many Mom & Mind episodes, but infant mental health is often overlooked in our discussions. It’s fascinating to see the intersection of infant mental health and perinatal health, and research shows that we need to consider how these two systems work together to bring mental health to both parents and their babies. We are jumping into this interesting topic with today’s guest. Meyleen Velasquez is a psychotherapist who specializes in infant and perinatal mental health. Her practice supports individuals identifying as women and clinicians working on practicing from an anti-oppressive framework. In today’s episode, we’ll talk about what infant mental health is and why it’s important to consider--along with perinatal mental health. Many moms worry about not doing the right thing for their child, so they fall into the traps of modern parenthood. Meyleen talks about the reality of parenthood, assuring you that you aren’t messing up your kids if you don’t attend to them ALL the time. Show Highlights: What infant mental health and why it’s important The intersection of infant mental health and perinatal mental health: infants need a caregiver to provide calming, soothing, focused attention, and the caregiver needs a safe space to express emotions Why there isn’t much focus on the crossover between infant mental health and perinatal mental health The need to share information with parents in the space of compassion and gentleness In the parent/child relationship, a basic need is that struggling parents need support Why an infant who doesn’t show a full range of emotions is cause for concern, but those emotions can’t be overinterpreted The need to be “good enough,” and look at parenting as a whole and not just what happened in one day Why parents need at least 30 min./day to take care of themselves The red flag of developmentally inappropriate regression in young children Overinterpretation vs. under interpretation Myths and misconceptions about infant mental health How we can help an infant learn to co-regulate Why parents need to take breaks to soothe themselves How babies respond differently in different settings and relationships Hopeful messages for parents: “Infants and young children are extremely resilient. If parents can get the support they need, then babies can bounce back. Nothing is a forever situation because we can be good enough and create healthy, thriving babies with relationships that we also enjoy.” Resources: Hummingbird Counseling Facebook: Hummingbird Counseling Zeroththree