A healthy amount of fear and anxiety related to pregnancy and childbirth is perfectly normal. Parents struggling with perinatal (during pregnancy) or postpartum (after birth) OCD experience intrusive obsessions related to their infant and compulsions aimed at reducing their infant-related anxiety. These obsessions and compulsions go beyond the normal worries a new parent may face; the symptoms negatively impact daily functioning and disrupt typical parent-child bonding.
Perinatal or postpartum OCD anxiety may include themes related to the baby being harmed, contaminated, or left behind. Some parents may even experience distressing, unwanted sexual fears related to their infant. Compulsions in this subtype of OCD may include avoiding time with or touching the baby, excessively checking the baby’s breathing or temperature, ongoing reassurance seeking, or engaging in mental rituals that seek to neutralize anxious thoughts about the baby’s safety and well-being.
Perinatal or postpartum OCD may appear alongside other forms of OCD. For some parents, this may be their first experience of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Symptoms that may appear alongside the obsessions and compulsions could include withdrawal, feelings of overwhelm, shame, and depression, as well as sleep difficulties.
Thankfully, perinatal or postpartum OCD is highly treatable with appropriate mental health intervention. If you or a loved one may be suffering from Perinatal or Postpartum OCD or another form of OCD, reach out to us for a free consultation call here, or learn more about our offerings here.