Your baby is finally here. But instead of peace, your mind serves up thoughts that feel scary and hard to shake. What if I drop them in the tub? What if they stop breathing and I don’t notice? The thoughts feel intrusive and foreign, and they won’t go away. You’d never hurt your child, but your mind keeps running worst-case scenarios anyway. That’s not you failing. That’s postpartum OCD. And no, you don’t have to just “cope” with it. Postpartum OCD therapy teaches you to let the thought sit there without grabbing the wheel.
What is Postpartum OCD?
Postpartum OCD occurs to mothers or fathers after a newborn baby arrives and is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that revolves around the newborn baby’s safety. The parent does not have to have experienced OCD prior pregnancy in order to experience postpartum OCD. It can occur as a result of a shift of focus from pre-existing OCD or can be an entirely new disorder triggered by birth.
While postpartum OCD most often affects mothers, it has also been found to commonly affect fathers in the same way. Fathers who suffer from postpartum OCD experience the same symptoms as mothers, and also often benefit significantly from Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).
The Postpartum OCD Cycle
There is no exact blueprint for the impulses or thoughts that may be caused by postpartum OCD. However, postpartum OCD does follow the same vicious cycle as other forms of OCD. It goes as follows:
Obsessive, intrusive thoughts
OCD causes obsessive, intrusive thoughts that constantly repeat. These thoughts can be scary to experience and talk about, and even though they are unwanted, they can feel impossible to stop. For a mother with postpartum OCD, these thoughts often are centered around accidentally or intentionally harming the baby and may sound like:
- What if I drop them?
- What if they stop breathing in their sleep?
- What if their bottle wasn’t clean and they get sick from it?
- I could leave them in the bath with the water running
- If I leave my baby with a sitter something bad will happen to them
Anxiety and distress
These obsessive thoughts, and the inability to stop them, lead to severe anxiety and distress. For many, these thoughts will not go away and can become overwhelming and debilitating. As a result, mothers may feel the need to act on their obsessive thoughts to make them stop.
Compulsions
In attempts to eliminate intrusive thoughts and the anxiety caused by them, mothers may respond with compulsive behavior. These may become rituals for the mother and are aimed at preventing any harm to the baby. They may look like:
- Excessively checking on, or watching, the baby
- Checking locks, cribs, and safety features repeatedly
- Seeking constant validation from friends, family, and doctors
- Avoiding being alone with the baby, or not allowing anyone else to care for the baby
- Hiding all (potentially) dangerous objects
- Repeating prayers or phrases excessively
Temporary Relief
Compulsions offer temporary relief; however, they also further validate obsessive thoughts. By reinforcing OCD thoughts, compulsions become “the only solution,” but soon the thoughts will return, and thus, the cycle begins.
The Cause of Postpartum OCD
An exact cause for postpartum OCD has not yet been identified. Though, the increase in hormones and correlated psychological changes experienced from pregnancy and childbirth are believed to play a strong part in its onset. Additionally, individuals who suffered from OCD prior to the birth of their child may be more likely to experience postpartum OCD.
Postpartum OCD and Postpartum Depression
Postpartum OCD and postpartum depression are also believed to have a strong correlation, though the correlation has not yet been clearly identified. Many women suffering from postpartum depression experience unwanted obsessive thoughts comorbidly with symptoms of depression. But women do also experience postpartum OCD and postpartum depression separately.
Treatments for OCD
Exposure and response therapy (ERP) is believed to be the most effective form of treatment for all forms of OCD. ERP is a form of cognitive-based therapy (CBT) where individuals are gradually exposed to their triggers over a given period of time and learn to avoid responding to these thoughts with compulsions. Postpartum OCD therapy takes those same principles and applies them so new parents can manage intrusive thoughts and ease up on compulsions, all within a safe, structured setting.
Medications like SSRIs can also be effective in treating OCD, though it is important to contact a mental health professional to determine the best course of action.
Connect with a Postpartum OCD Therapist at Embrace Now
Postpartum OCD is exhausting. Your brain won’t shut up, and you can end up feeling like a terrible parent just for having these thoughts. You’re not. A lot of new moms deal with this, sometimes alongside postpartum depression and OCD, and aren’t sure what’s happening. A postpartum OCD therapist can help you make sense of it and start getting some relief with the right postpartum OCD treatment.
At Embrace Now, we work with people dealing with anxiety, OCD, phobias, relationship issues, and panic. We use approaches like CBT and ERP. We’ll help you live with the thoughts without getting
pulled under by them. We offer individual postpartum OCD therapy in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, and online across 41 states.
If you’re ready, reach out to Embrace Now for a free consultation.
Reviewed by Dr. Sandra, Licensed Psychologist
Frequently Asked Questions
A1. Postpartum OCD is a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder that develops after having a baby, where a parent gets stuck on frightening, repeated thoughts about something bad happening to their child. These thoughts are like the brain getting trapped in the worst possible “what-if” scenarios. To deal with the anxiety, parents end up doing rituals like checking on the baby constantly or cleaning things over and over.
A2. How long postpartum OCD lasts depends on the person. Without treatment, it can stretch on for months or even years. Most people start to feel real improvement within six to twelve months once they get into postpartum OCD therapy or start medication. Postpartum OCD symptoms usually begin in the first few weeks after birth and do not tend to go away on their own.
A3. Postpartum OCD is treated with therapy, medication, or both. What works best depends on the person. The most effective therapy is called Exposure and Response Prevention, which helps break the loop of scary thoughts and the rituals that follow. Many parents also do well on SSRIs, and getting more sleep or letting people lend a hand makes things easier.
A4. OCD is not really curable in the sense that it goes away for good. But it is very manageable with the right support. Plenty of people get to a point where their symptoms are mild and do not get in the way of daily life or bonding with their baby. With solid tools and some occasional support, most folks can keep things under control over the long haul.
Postpartum OCD Therapy – Free Consultation for Intrusive Thoughts and Anxiety
Schedule a free 10 minute consultation call with a postpartum OCD therapist, Dr. Sandra Ostroff.
Dr. Sandra Ostroff specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for postpartum OCD, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and related conditions.