Back to top

When to ask for help and give yourself grace.

Kate Collison, Ph.D.
• July 07, 2023

In “Navigating the Transition to Parenthood,” Katherine Collison, Ph.D. provides an overview of the physical and emotional changes that take place during and after pregnancy, information about postpartum depression and anxiety, and recommendations for resources and strategies that can help parents navigate this transition.

"Whether the road leading to parenthood was long or short, meticulously planned or a surprise detour: having a child is life changing," notes Dr. Collison. "This transition in identity and day-to-day living can be (all at once) joyous and exhausting, beautiful and frustrating, meaningful and uncertain. It requires a new balance and dynamic, which is challenging and stressful for all new parents. For some, this transition can also lead to significant mental health challenges."

Kate Collison, Ph.D.

Madigan Family Clinical Research Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Kate Collison is the Madigan Family Clinical Research Postdoctoral Fellow at The Family Institute. She treats individuals and couples for a wide range of clinical problems and psychosocial stressors. Dr.

References & Citations

Andersen, L.B., Melvaer, L.B., Videbech, P., Lamont, R.F. and Joergensen, J.S. (2012). Risk factors for developing post-traumatic stress disorder following childbirth: a systematic review. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 91, 1261-1272. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0412.2012.01476.x

Building U.S. Capacity to Review and Prevent Maternal Deaths. (2018). Report from nine maternal mortality review committees. Retrieved from http://reviewtoaction.org/Report_from_Nine_MMRCs

Cameron, E. E., Sedov, I. D., & Tomfohr-Madsen, L. M. (2016). Prevalence of paternal depression in pregnancy and the postpartum: An updated meta-analysis. Journal of affective disorders206, 189–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.07.044

Cao, H., Roger Mills-Koonce, W., Wood, C. and Fine, M.A. (2016), Identity Transformation During the Transition to Parenthood Among Same-Sex Couples: An Ecological, Stress-Strategy-Adaptation Perspective. J Fam Theory Rev, 8: 30-59. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12124

de Cock, E. S. A., Henrichs, J., Vreeswijk, C. M. J. M., Maas, A. J. B. M., Rijk, C. H. A. M., & van Bakel, H. J. A. (2016). Continuous feelings of love? The parental bond from pregnancy to toddlerhood. Journal of Family Psychology, 30(1), 125–134. 

Genetics & IVF Institute.(2023, April 27). IVF Cycle. https://www.givf.com/fertility/ivfcycleindetail.shtml

Goodman, J.H. (2004), Paternal postpartum depression, its relationship to maternal postpartum depression, and implications for family health. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 45: 26-35. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2003.02857.x

Howell, E. A., Mora, P. A., Horowitz, C. R., & Leventhal, H. (2005). Racial and ethnic differences in factors associated with early postpartum depressive symptoms. Obstetrics and gynecology105(6), 1442–1450.

Kaźmierczak, M. & Karasiewicz, K. (2019). Making space for a new role – gender differences in identity changes in couples transitioning to parenthood. Journal of Gender Studies, 28(3), 271-287. DOI: 10.1080/09589236.2018.1441015

Bowen, A., >Stewart, N., &  Muhajarine, N. (2013).  Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy: Prevalence, severity and relation to psychosocial health. Maternal-Child Nursing, (1), 21–27.

Latendresse G. (2009). The interaction between chronic stress and pregnancy: preterm birth from a biobehavioral perspective. Journal of midwifery & women's health54(1), 8–17.

Leach, L. S., Poyser, C., Cooklin, A. R., & Giallo, R. (2016). Prevalence and course of anxiety disorders (and symptom levels) in men across the perinatal period: A systematic review. Journal of affective disorders190, 675–686. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2015.09.063

Scarff J. R. (2019). Postpartum Depression in Men. Innovations in clinical neuroscience16(5-6), 11–14.

Schaffir, Jonathan, 'Biological Changes During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period' in Amy Wenzel (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Perinatal Psychology, Oxford Library of Psychology  (online edn,  Oxford Academic, 13 Jan. 2014),  accessed 11 Apr. 2023.

Stryker, S., & Burke, P. J. (2000). The past, present, and future of an identity theory. Social Psychology Quarterly, 284–297.

“Supporting the Physical and Mental Health of New and Expectant Black Mothers,” November 8, 2018.

Toren, P., Dor, J., Mester, R., Mozes, T., Blumensohn, R., Rehavi, M., & Weizman, A. (1996). Depression in women treated with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist. Biological psychiatry39(5), 378–382.

Wallace, M., Crear-Perry, J., Richardson, L., Tarver, M., & Theall, K. (2017). Separate and unequal: Structural racism and infant mortality in the US. Health & place45, 140–144.