Anyone suffer from postpartum ocd after there first child!? Then got pregnant with there 2nd child a couple years later and get severe prenatal ocd and anxiety!? If so does it get better after birth?? I can’t do any worse then this I legit do not feel able to take care of a new born and 4 year old feeling this way that’s why I’m sooo soo terrified I’m going to go mentally insane after having her 😭😭 please helpppp
My sister has 3 one a new born she feels just like you things get better when there a little older behavior will come and go all depends on what they know you will be stronger then ever they will be your strength a reminder of what you can do and you will be there mother
@Mea2 I really hope so I’m sooo convinced I’m going to go mentally crazy after having her so that’s why I’m scared I won’t be able to do it thank you for your comment ❤️
Maybe it will get better after birth, maybe not. Maybe it will get worse after birth, maybe not. This is OCD. You’re latching onto the fear of becoming crazy as an obsession. What compulsions are fueling it? This post is a form of reassurance seeking. What else? Practice acceptance, non-engagement and ERP. Imaginal exposures would probably be good. I highly recommend going ahead and reaching out to a therapist either on here or find someone with experience with OCD and ERP in person NOW! I can’t tell you what is to come, but you’re already suffering so now is a good time to start. Holding out hope that it’s going to get better after you have the baby is just delaying your ability to start recovering now. After giving birth is actually a high risk time for developing/recurring OCD. Start ERP and learning how to deal with this and moving towards recovery now so you’ll be better equipped if it does amp up once the baby is here. Plus this way you’ll already be working with a therapist instead of having to be diagnosed later and risk getting misdiagnosed. I suggest being honest with your OB and let them know you’ve had OCD before and are experiencing perinatal OCD. This way they can look into it and be more prepared also if you do experience it. Most OBGYNs aren’t familiar with postpartum OCD and someone without knowledge may mistake the intrusive thoughts as psychosis.
@Robbin Thank you for this! I am already talking with a therapist and she knows I have ocd she as well specializes in ocd so we been working a little on it but I only talk to her once a week so I feel like I need more then just 1 time a week but not sure if that’s possible but ur definitely right I’m trying tho I more then the first time around cuz last time around I just let it happen and it was terrible! Not going through that again
@linds123 You’re welcome! I’m so glad you’re working with someone! If you think you need more than once a week then advocate for that! With an NOCD therapist you’d do twice a week for the first bit. But if you’ve already practiced ERP and are familiar with the skills maybe she feels once a week is sufficient… Are you doing the “homework” and doing lots of ERP on your own between sessions? When you say talking with your therapist it’s not like traditional talk therapy right? I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I’m struggling with postpartum OCD and my theme is contamination and it’s honestly torture! I inadvertently was just feeding it and making it worse all that time and it’s made things so much harder than they should be and I feel horrible for my 4 year old because I’ve been such a different mom than he is used to.
@Robbin Hi Robbin would I be able to reach out to you !
Hi there! I am 4 months postpartum and struggling with harm ocd, the fear of what if I harm my child. It has manifested to the fear of what if I harm my husband, sister, nieces, parents, etc. Anyone else have this experience and how did you get through it?
So I’ve just found out I’m pregnant and I’m freaking out rn I’ve been getting thoughts like “I’ll be a bad mum” and overthinking everything & my OCD is convincing me that I’ll act on my thoughts because of my hormones and stuff. I’ve also got a fear of being sick & I’m stressing over that too. Anyone else who has harm OCD pregnant or a Mum can give me some advice pls😭
Please if someone can reply! I really just need someone to talk to. I don’t even know how to control my OCD. It honestly feels like it’s controlling me. Everyday my mind focuses on every bodily sensation I have and it’s like a broken record player, I have horrible health anxiety and my OCD just makes it worst just thinking about it everyday. It feels like everyone who I explain it to looks at me like I’m stupid/crazy. I use to be much more tame with my OCD, I use to eat things without worry, now I can’t even touch things I use to eat without worrying that I’ll get an allergic reaction (despite eating them BEFORE,,,but my mind tells me otherwise) and omg worrying about heart attacks, pulmonary issues..and I couldn’t even enjoy my own child’s birth because my mind was on high alert thinking I would hemorrhage any second or develop pre-E (complications of postpartum) I was miserable for the first couple of months of my baby’s life and I didn’t know what to do. And now, I’m pregnant with my second (4wks) and all the OCD thoughts and anxiety is coming back at me and I have no one to talk to, I feel lonely. And even if I considered taking a pill, I’d worry about being allergic to it and refusing to take it. I ruin everything for everyone. I remember I ate out one night and I started to think “you’re gonna pass out! You’re gonna pass out! (Without ever passing out before) and I had to leave! I feel like I ruin the mood for everyone when I don’t even try to, and I hate it.
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