My OCD is what it is. But I am curious! Did anyone have kids after they were diagnosed with OCD? I’m not concerned about passing it down as much as handling the stress of childbirth and child rearing. Any tips would be helpful!
I wasn’t diagnosed until after I had four kids! They are a joy to me and have been my biggest driving factor in getting help with ERP. I am age appropriately open with them about my OCD, PTSD and other mental health struggles and am breaking the generational stigma of pretending like everything is fine. We have come closer and so many things have improved since my diagnosis. If you have support, compassion and tools then motherhood with OCD IS wonderful. All mom’s have hang ups-everyone struggles with different things and parenting is stressful regardless of the innumerable circumstances…but stressful and hard don’t always mean bad. I’ve definitely become a better person and have accomplished things I never would have tried for my kids.
I don’t have children but I 1000% understand this fear!!!!! I have the same thought! I think people with OCD would be amazing parents darling. And you would be exactly what your baby needs!💖
Yes and no. I’ve had ocd since I was 17, but probably truly since air was a child. I was unofficially diagnosed at 17 but I didn’t seek a therapist until after my child was born in my 30s. If you can have it well managed before you have children it helps. Stay on top of managing once you have them too, being a parent is amazing but tough too. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but I would have sought treatment sooner if I could do over.
Never let fear control you
How did you decide whether or not to have children? My psychologist tells me that people with contamination ocd can be great parents but I just don’t know how I will possibly be able to handle it. My partner wants children and I think I do too but I’m just not sure if it’s the right choice for someone like me. I can’t take care of a human being if I go back to having full-on breakdowns and constant panic. Any advice or personal experience is appreciated.
Does anyone with POCD have children? I want to have children in the future, but the idea of it really scares me because of my fears. Something I have been learning in therapy is not to make fear-based decisions. So it’s definitely something I want to do, but I just wanna know some of your experiences with this.
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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