Adjusting to the birth of a baby can be challenging for many women. El Camino Hospital Mountain View's Maternal Outreach Mood Services program offers counseling for expectant and new mothers in a supportive and nurturing environment and helps restore the joy that motherhood can bring.
About Our Program
For some women, having a baby can bring up feelings such as: "I feel totally overwhelmed," "I'm always exhausted," "I cry for no reason and worry all the time," or "I just want to feel like myself again." In fact, between 10 and 20 percent of women will experience depression or anxiety in pregnancy or the first year postpartum. Prenatal and postpartum depression can cause you to feel very lonely. Maternal Outreach Mood Services offers a day treatment program that allows women to realize that they are not alone, that the depression is not their fault, and that depression and anxiety can be treated effectively.
Maternal Outreach Mood Services includes group, couples and individual counseling and helps women develop positive coping skills. Medication evaluation is also available. Mothers are encouraged to bring their infants to some of the groups that Maternal Outreach Mood Services offers. Most insurance plans cover the cost of the program.
Our Staff
Maternal Outreach Mood Services is a collaboration between El Camino Hospital's Maternal Child Health Services and Behavioral Health Services. The staff includes clinical nurse specialists, marriage and family therapists, and psychiatrists who have expertise in pregnancy and postpartum mood problems.
Group Program
The Maternal Outreach Mood Services group program addresses topics including:
- Self-care (e.g., sleep, nutrition, exercise)
- Relaxation skills
- Realistic expectations of motherhood
- Communication with in-laws or relatives
- Couples conflict
- Enhancing mother-baby attachment
- Stress management
- Role transitions
Contacting Behavioral Health Services
If you are concerned that you might have prenatal/postpartum depression or anxiety or if you are struggling with the transition to motherhood, please contact us for a complimentary consultation. We are located at:
Behavioral Health Services
El Camino Hospital Mountain View
2660 Grant Road, Suite D
Mountain View, CA 94040
Phone: 650-988-7841
If you are a health care provider who would like to refer a patient, please call toll-free at 866-789-6089.