Post partum ocd has consumed me

@berinthoughts Thank you so much! I try to but it feels like no one is taking me seriously, it’s “normal for a new mom” but this doesn’t feel normal 😔

@pinkpeonies It's absolutely not "normal for a new mom," but I think the issue is that they are assuming you're speaking a little hyperbolically. It *is* normal to want to double check the car seat. It *is* normal to get nervous that the owlet isn't working right and want to check the baby anyway. It's normal to be nervous that the kiddo might get hurt. But the *severity* you describe is not normal. That's one of the hardest things about OCD; it feels like it's often rooted in very normal/reasonable things. But then your brain goes "oh, checking that the seatbelt was done correctly helped me feel slightly less scared of a crash happening. So obviously if I check twice, then it will help reduce my anxiety twice as much!" And it becomes a vicious cycle. I would guess that the people you're speaking to probably think you are speaking hyperbolically rather than literally. That you only *actually* go check the baby once or twice in the whole night, not literally almost every hour in a panic. That you're just checking the seatbelt one extra time, not *actually* checking 5 times, etc. If the people around you aren't fully grasping the severity and you're not getting the support you need, seek *professional* help. Maybe a therapist specializing in ppd/ppa, maybe increasing NOCD sessions, maybe looking online and finding a local support group rather than just people you know. Being told "everyone feels like that, you're just being dramatic" (or however the people around you have phrased it, but that's how people have said it to me) can be really harmful so it's worth looking for *someone* you can talk to who better understands you. Posting here was a great start

@Nommnincsa Thank you so much that was so nice to hear.. I have never experienced something like this and started to doubt myself if I should really seek help or if this is normal.. I’m going to seek a therapist who specializes in post partum. Thank you sosososo much again🫶🏻

@Anonymous Do you struggle with the same thoughts? Did you end up seeking help for it? I’m 5 months pp and I was ignorant in thinking that feeling this way goes away by now, if anything I feel like it’s getting to its peak!