OCD during pregnancy

[AudreyRose]

Hello everyone

I have been debating for some time over whether to start a thread about this or not, but I've decided to do it.

I suffer from OCD (the obssessions change on a daily basis but I also mainly worry about absolutely everything, and worry about things that haven't even happened).

I've had this condition for most of my life but its only become magnified in the last couple of years. DH and I had been TTC for about 18 months and are so happy and excited to be expecting our first bub next year.

Since I've fallen pregnant my OCD has switched to the pregnancy (I suspected it might) and I am worrying about the baby's health with absolutely everything. I worry about everything I touch, I don't trust eating out (unless we have to) or even at the houses of those we know, I worry about listeria living in our kitchen drain holes, I worry about getting bitten by spiders or other insects that could harm the baby, doing too much physical stuff incase I over do it, I'm more obssessive now about cleanliness than I was before etc. In addition to that, I'm generally anxious about something going wrong or the baby coming to some harm, even though, gratefully, everything has been fine so far. I've called the MW's so many times about the most menial things (which to others may seem trivial but in my mind were magnified in to a catastrophe) and I'm driving DH mad with the constant stressing and worrying.

I know that none of this is good for our baby, even though the worrying is because I care for and love her so much. I was really hoping to get a better grip on this but it has got a grip over me and I'm really trying to overcome it so that I can enjoy my pregnancy as much as possible.

I was just wondering if anyone has had similar experiences during pregnancy and if you found any strategies that helped you to overcome the constant worrying?

Thank you in advance

[dboo]

Yep, I was diagnosed with OCD (obsessions mostly, but some compulsive beahaviour ex: counting). I managed this for years mainly by myself, but with some CBT and medication when it got really bad. I tried to keep to a low dose of meds and when I fell pregnant I got off them cold turkey. I was an absolute nervous wreck during pregnancy - I would pore over my ultrasound pics comparing bone lengths etc. to see if they matched with what was the average etc. I ate some parsley sprinkled on something once and was sure I'd have a miscarriage..this list goes on AND ON AND ON.
Anyway, my baby is 10 months old and I am still off meds and hope to stay that way. I have some really bad times and my anxiety level also increases at certain points in my menstrual cycle. I am living overseas in a very different culture too, so my husband is my main emotional support. He tries to understand, but he has no issues like this so doesn't fully understand. I am also a Christian which has helped me get through some rough patches.

Do you take any medication or have you had any therapy? If you want to send me a PM, I can tell you in more detail some techniques that have helped me.

[mimsie]

Mine is generally pretty mild but it does flare up with pregnancy - I was agoraphobic from it when pregnant with DD. It manifests in less typical ways - ie I don't clean heaps or wash hands etc I think because I block it out so quickly, it only takes the smallest mess to be too overwhelming so I can just 'not see' it if that makes sense. But I have to have balance in everything and it makes me so stressed if I don't, whether it's just a picture hanging straight or the furniture balanced out in a room - it's the main way it shows up for me.

Pregnant though yes I get worse. I get more paranoid about things than normal, and guilty too. I fight pretty hard to stop it this time around getting to what it was with DD though. Some days I win, some days I don't!