OCD as a new parent
Hi! I am expecting and while I'm super excited, I'm also worried about having OCD and experiencing the post partum period that everyone makes sound like the lowest point of one's life. I'd love to hear from other mom's with OCD. Could really use some positive stories or tips! I'm pretty scared.
Of course I understand how scary it is but the fact you are scared and aware and trying to figure it out for your child makes you an amazing parent already! Blessings to you and yours and thank you I take it day by day and my little is the best thing ever she's an amazing little human being 🥰
OCD mom here! I had my baby 7 months ago. What helped me alot was knowing that OCD will attack what is most important to me. So I was not surprised that the thoughts changed while pregnancy and after baby was born. Once my hormones were balanced again, I felt the strength to work on it. As a new mom feeling ancious is unfortunately a big part of it. BUT we as OCD moms are like pros in feeling anxiety. So feeling this new kind of ancious wasn't as dangerous as I imagined. My baby is the biggest motivation to work through it and I'm stronger than I ever was before. (Sorry for any mistakes. English isn’t my first language. 😅)
Your English is wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing! Funny you mention that because I was once told by a therapists that if anything, having anxiety or ocd would work in our benefit in someways bc we are already familiar with intrusive thoughts and anxiety that is so common with pregnancy and post partum. That did bring make me feel better hearing 😊 Thank you so much for the advice!!
Hi there. I wanted to say congratulations!!! Don’t have any experience with this, but I actually share the same worry about my future and future children. I’m sure you will do amazing 🩷. Sounds like you have an amazing support system and you will have this app and others here as well :)
First off congratulations to you and your bundle of joy that is growing in your belly!!! I would say being a parent with OCD it is challenging you have your ups and downs and some days are brutal and some days you feel like you are on top of the world in pure bliss.. this baby will make you more happy than you ever could have imagined and scared shitless all at once my child means more to me than anything else in this whole entire universe and she is something I care about more than air for myself I want her to be happy healthy live a long healthy fulfilled life but it is scary because caring about someone as much as you do with your child everything is scary and new and you have so much to learn and understand but remember enjoy it take it day by day minute by minute a child is the biggest blessing
Thank you so much for your kind and honest words!! We're super excited but then of course anxiety wanted to come rear it's ugly head and make me second guess my capabilities as a parent for the sole fact of having an OCD diagnosis. Thank you and I hope you and your little one are doing great 😊
Anyone else a new mom here going through postpartum OCD?
Okay so im pretty much just putting this out there to see if anyone will comment and help me. This is my first and only baby I will be having. I have pretty severe ocd with multiple themes and have for years it fluctuates from better to worse you know like this disorder usually does but especially with this pregnancy it has been so bad. It got bad in the second trimester and then it got worse in this last trimester. Idk if it’s because I’m just anticipating his arrival so much so my minds just left to wonder and create scenarios regular and intrusive, of what it’ll be like to be a mom and have him here and also to be exposed everyday to a source of anxiety for me. My stress level is so so high almost everything triggers a thought for me everyday and i ruminate on all of them everyday. I try not to but right now it feels impossible eventhough I know it’s ocd. So what I’m asking is any mom, dad, parent whatever on here I need advice on managing this with a new child. He is about to come out and I’m so anxious about how this will affect me I want to be a good mom and of course ocd makes me worry what if I’m just constantly anxious around him and can’t function and don’t want to be around him? What if I hurt him or want to? All the terrible what ifs and worrying that I won’t be able to enjoy being a mom that this shit will take any enjoyable part of the experience away from me and just make me miserable so please anyone who’s been through it before just tell me how you managed or are still managing what you did to prepare/how you cope? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!
Hi everyone I’m new here. I’ve been to hell and back in the last 5 months with my OCD which has affected me with various themes in various ways for since childhood but I’ve only this year discovered I have OCD. I have been suicidal 3 times and very close to ending it all. I have a question for all the parents out there/mums to be suffering with OCD…… I already have a 9 yr old boy and 8 yr old girl and have just found out I’m pregnant again…… I really want to be happy about it but my OCD is determined to make me terrified of having another baby and I am living in fear and dread of changing nappies etc as I know it will start affecting me with POCD type thoughts. I didn’t have OCD anything like as bad as it has been this year when I had my two eldest so never had any issues when they were babies. But I don’t even know how to feel except I am terrified now and very seriously considering abortion just to not go through what the OCD may do to me mentally! Though it would devastate my partner. I have had minimal therapy so far since August but no ERP therapy, I’ve lost faith in therapists as I’m yet to meet one that actually knows what OCD is like for those of us living with it. Is anyone else currently facing this situation with being pregnant or been through/currently going through it? How are you coping? Please don’t give too many details as I am scared of being triggered
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