OCD worse than ever-life changes

I have had OCD my whole life and was diagnosed by a therapist 2 years ago. Specifically I struggle a lot with health, contamination and pure ocd. I was doing exposures and really felt like I conquered by contamination ocd. With the health ocd I have an intense fear I will have a food or medicine allergy and go into anaphylactic shock. This takes up a lot of my energy day to day. Within the past year, we bought a home, renovated and recently got married. My husband wants to start trying for a baby soon but I am not ready at all because of how much I feel like I have gone backwards with my anxiety and ocd. This spiked a lot with the stress of wedding planning. I’m scared pregnancy will spike my health/contamination ocd even more and I won’t be able to handle it. I always wanted babies but now that it’s getting closer and I know how much ocd I truly have I am so nervous I will cause myself and baby more stress than good. Does anyone have positive stories of TTC/pregnancy/PP and motherhood with ocd?

Anonymous

Date posted: 13d

Currently 33wks pregnant and started OCD therapy right after finding out coincidentally. I struggle with some of the same types you’re talking about and pregnancy has been the biggest exposure therapy there could be for me and it isn’t even intentional 90% of the time. However, I am so glad to be doing the work and having the exposures now rather than later in life and before we actually have kids in the mix. It has by no means been easy but in my experience getting pregnant has helped so much in pushing me to do the work whether I feel like I’m choosing it or not. I don’t know the extent of anxiety and OCD that is to come for me soon, but I know I’m further than I’ve ever been now!

Oceanlove325

Date posted: 13d

@Anonymous Thank you so much for your response and congratulations on your baby! This really is helpful to know it’s been helpful for you to push you to do the work more and knowing it’s okay to not know what will and won’t amplify ocd and anxiety in the future but you’re feeling good and doing the work now and feeling better! I’m so happy for you and to hear this!

Pronged_ping

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 13d

I relate so strongly with what you have written about. I also struggle with the fear of anaphylactic shock and other health related episodes along with contamination OCD. And I have also been contemplating about getting pregnant in the near future. I am terrified for my OCD amplifying during that time. I spoke with my therapist and I scheduled an appointment with an OBGYN in my area and discussed my concerns and questions about being pregnant with OCD. I have also discussed with my psychiatrist as well to see what medications I could take and not take during that time. (in my case going off my medication is not an option for my personal mental health) I have built a team together with my husband to help support us during a wonderful but also incredibly stressful time in our life. And also if you are not feeling ready, I would tell your husband and maybe you two can come up with a plan together. My thoughts are with you guys!

Oceanlove325

Date posted: 13d

@Pronged_ping Thank you so so much for your response-it’s good to know I’m not alone in these feelings. I have discussed with my therapist about more exposures and I will be starting medication that would be safe to get pregnant on in the near future. I’m due for my annual at my obgyn and my husband is coming with me so we can discuss specifically ocd and pregnancy. He knows I’m not ready yet and we are on the same page but I also know if it was up to me I don’t think I’ll ever 100% be ready to maybe make my ocd and anxiety worse with pregnancy and baby so I am okay with him encouraging me to talk about it and keep checking in. Thank you again and good luck on your journey!

WorryBrain

User type: OCD Conqueror

Date posted: 22w

What are you waiting for….

My struggles with OCD began in childhood, but it wasn’t until after giving birth to my first child at 30 that I finally received a diagnosis. For years, I suffered in silence with intense anxiety, insomnia, and intrusive thoughts, but because my compulsions were mostly mental—constant rumination, reassurance-seeking, and avoidance—I didn’t realize I had OCD. I experienced Pure O, where my mind would latch onto terrifying thoughts, convincing me something was deeply wrong with me. After my son was born, I was consumed by intrusive fears of harming him, even though I loved him more than anything. Seven weeks into postpartum, I hit a breaking point and ended up in the emergency room, where I was finally diagnosed. For the first time, everything made sense. I didn’t discover exposure and response prevention (ERP) until years later when my son developed Germ OCD during COVID. I went through the program myself first, and it completely changed my life. ERP helped me sit with my intrusive thoughts instead of reacting to them, breaking the cycle that had controlled me for so long. Life isn’t perfect, but it’s so much better than before. I can finally be present instead of trapped in my head. Now, I’m working on trusting myself more and handling challenges without fear of “losing control.” As I prepare to help my daughter start therapy, I feel empowered knowing I’m giving my children the support I never had. If you know you have OCD but haven’t started therapy yet, what’s holding you back?

"Pure" OCD

Holl1

Date posted: 17w

OCD

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😭

Harm OCD

Aprilshowers...

Date posted: 17w

My OCD

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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OCD worse than ever-life changes

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