Perinatal Psychiatry in Southlake, TX

Understanding Perinatal Mental Health

Perinatal psychiatry addresses the mental health challenges that can arise during pregnancy and the first year after delivery. The transition to parenthood is one of life’s most profound changes, and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders affect up to 1 in 5 women, yet they remain significantly underdiagnosed and undertreated. At MindMED, Dr. Fredes provides specialized perinatal psychiatric care in Southlake, TX for mothers navigating these challenges.

The reality is that pregnancy and the postpartum period are not always happy, glowing times. Women may experience intense anxiety, persistent sadness, intrusive thoughts, or a sense of disconnection from their baby-and these experiences are medical, not moral failures. Dr. Fredes brings focused expertise and deep compassion to perinatal psychiatry. Whether you’re experiencing symptoms for the first time during pregnancy, struggling with postpartum depression or anxiety, navigating medication decisions while breastfeeding, or grieving a pregnancy loss, you deserve expert care that takes both your health and your baby’s wellbeing into account.

Perinatal Mood Disorders We Treat

• Prenatal Depression & Anxiety – Mood and anxiety symptoms that develop during pregnancy, often driven by hormonal changes, life transition stress, and anxiety about motherhood. Many women think they have to “just get through” pregnancy while depressed-they don’t.
• Postpartum Depression – Persistent sadness, hopelessness, loss of interest in activities, difficulty bonding with the baby, changes in appetite or sleep, or difficulty functioning that goes beyond the “baby blues” and lasts longer than 2 weeks.
• Postpartum Anxiety – Excessive worry, racing thoughts, physical tension, panic attacks, or difficulty relaxing after childbirth. Some women have intrusive thoughts about something bad happening to themselves or their baby.
• Postpartum OCD – Intrusive, distressing thoughts about harm coming to the baby, accompanied by compulsive checking, avoidance behaviors, or mental rituals. This is not a reflection of actual risk or parental capacity-it’s a symptom.
• Postpartum Psychosis – A rare but serious psychiatric emergency involving delusions, hallucinations, confusion, or mania in the immediate postpartum period. This requires urgent psychiatric treatment.
• Pregnancy Loss Grief – The emotional aftermath of miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy, or termination of pregnancy for fetal abnormality. This grief is real and deserves professional support.
• Medication Management During Pregnancy – If you’re on psychiatric medication and planning to become pregnant, or if you’ve become pregnant while on medication, Dr. Fredes can help you navigate the difficult decision of whether to continue, adjust, or change medications.
• Breastfeeding-Compatible Treatment – Finding psychiatric medication options that are safe during lactation, so you can treat your mental health without undue risk to your baby.

Medication Safety in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

One of the biggest barriers to perinatal mental health treatment is fear about medication safety. Many women discontinue psychiatric medications when planning to conceive or after discovering they’re pregnant, hoping to protect their baby. However, this decision itself carries real risks: untreated depression or anxiety during pregnancy is associated with increased rates of miscarriage, preterm delivery, low birth weight, and postpartum depression. The question is not whether to treat, but how to treat safely.

Dr. Fredes specializes in evidence-based medication management during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The research on psychiatric medications in pregnancy is now robust enough that we can make nuanced, individualized decisions. Some medications are considered very safe in pregnancy; others carry modest risks that may be outweighed by the risks of untreated illness. For example, many SSRIs are considered first-line treatments in pregnancy, while others have less data. Breastfeeding opens additional options: many psychiatric medications pass minimally into breast milk, allowing mothers to treat their mental health while nursing safely.

The approach is shared decision-making. Dr. Fredes will discuss your specific medication, the condition being treated, your pregnancy status or breastfeeding goals, and the best available evidence about risks and benefits. You are the expert on your own values and circumstances; Dr. Fredes brings clinical expertise and a commitment to protecting both your health and your baby’s.

Our Treatment Approach

Insurance & Pricing

We accept major insurance plans for perinatal psychiatric care:

Self-pay and out-of-network options are also available. View full pricing details →

When to Seek Help

It can be hard to distinguish between normal adjustment and a perinatal mood disorder, especially when you’re exhausted and overwhelmed. The “baby blues”-mild mood swings, crying, and anxiety in the first 1-2 weeks after delivery-are very common and resolve on their own. But if you’re experiencing any of the following, reach out:

• Sadness, hopelessness, or emotional numbness that persists beyond the first 2 weeks postpartum
• Difficulty bonding with your baby or feeling disconnected, empty, or resentful
• Intrusive, scary thoughts about something bad happening to your baby (e.g., SIDS, accidents, or harm)
• Excessive worry that keeps you from sleeping even when the baby is asleep
• Panic attacks or a sense of dread
• Feeling like you’re failing as a parent despite evidence to the contrary
• Loss of interest in things you normally enjoy, including your baby
• Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
• Feeling confused, disoriented, or seeing/hearing things that aren’t there (possible postpartum psychosis-seek urgent help)

Early intervention makes a dramatic difference in recovery. You deserve support, and treatment works.