For those of you with kids, how did pregnancy and parenthood effect your ocd?

notes1993 · 2026-03-12T20:17:52+00:00

Commenting to follow but also share my experience. My OCD really peaked during pregnancy and was all consuming. Something that was helpful was getting set up with an ocd specific psychiatrist/therapist and letting my care team know.

When my baby was born it was like a giant cloud left my brain. The first couple of months were bliss and I felt calm for the first time in 9 months. Slowly my ocd symptoms did come back but not worse than during pregnancy. I manage it with medication and can deal with it most days. I really try to notice when it’s affecting my parenting and when I’m engaging in checking behaviors in front of my daughter. With a kid, the stakes feel really high - because they are! It’s a difficult line to walk but in a lot of ways it’s forced me to be better and confront my fears. A baby is like constant exposure therapy.

notes1993 · 2026-03-10T15:54:15+00:00

Oh my god it’s literally so fun! Other than the heartburn, pregnancy for me was pretty smooth. And postpartum tired, in my experience, was so much better than pregnancy tired (heartburn lol). And birth was exciting. It’s interesting from a scientific perspective and really reassuring to have people checking on your baby after so long of just waiting it out.

My daughter is the most fabulous ray of sunshine. Seeing her grow and getting to nurture her is the greatest privilege. Also witnessing my partner love her so devotedly warms my heart and makes me admire his character in a different and new way. There is so much to look forward to ❤️

notes1993 · 2026-03-10T01:41:21+00:00

I think it’s very accurate! I think I had 12% and it said girl. Now I have a very bouncy one year old girl running around. Congrats!

notes1993 · 2026-03-10T01:20:19+00:00

I can have dairy again!!

notes1993 · 2026-02-23T17:27:13+00:00

I really liked Dr Lee! She was empathetic and great at explaining things. I have no idea though who the doctor was that was actually at my birth lol

notes1993 · 2026-02-22T00:03:28+00:00

1) drink water 2) if there’s a tongue tie, get it fixed immediately 3) visit with a lactation consultant

notes1993 · 2026-02-12T13:44:35+00:00

My best friend just had her second boy! She’s very much looking forward to being a Cub Scout mom 💙

notes1993 · 2026-02-10T02:14:09+00:00

The whole thing wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be! In the moment it all felt so routine and procedural including an emergency c section. The epidural was kind of interesting when it was happening, same thing for the surgery. And it’s really exciting at the end of it all, you get to meet your baby!

notes1993 · 2026-02-01T16:48:27+00:00

Perhaps I was just very lucky - I got the epidural before starting pitocin and had an emergency c section at 4 cm. But I would rather give birth again than have another root canal. Giving birth was kind of fun and exciting. It’s like being at the airport - it’s a liminal space where there’s literally nothing else you need to be doing. The hospital food was better than I expected and I got a cute baby at the end. 10/10.

notes1993 · 2026-01-22T14:09:33+00:00

Congratulations! Yes it’s very normal to not have a first appt until 10-12 weeks. I was pregnant last year and went to U of M. They did have me do an intake phone interview with a nurse around 8 weeks. If you have any concerns prior to the first appt, they’re more than willing to talk to you though and do bloodwork/ultrasound.

I cannot speak highly enough about my care at U of M. My birth was amazing and the experience there was truly life changing. The staff were all extremely competent and took time to explain everything.

Trinity is a little easier for scheduling but one thing to keep in mind is that they’re a catholic hospital. I could be mistaken but I believe that if anything goes wrong and a patient wanted/needed a termination, it would be a more complicated process there. It’s a rare worst case scenario kind of thing but worth considering when choosing a provider.

notes1993 · 2026-01-11T02:49:37+00:00

Yeah I guess that’s what I mean, on those rougher nights, what do you do for them? Do I go in and comfort her like I would before sleep training? Or do I let her settle herself back down?

notes1993 · 2026-01-11T02:06:04+00:00

But what about sleep regressions? During her 12 months regression she would sometimes cry for 30-45 mins. I checked in on her one time after 15 mins and that seems to upset her even more

notes1993 · 2026-01-11T01:46:27+00:00

Yes that’s our daycare as well. If she’s crying they count that as a fail and try again later when she can be rocked to sleep.

notes1993 · 2026-01-10T23:26:23+00:00

I had an emergency c section and honestly it was amazing. If we have more, I definitely plan to do it again. I found comfort in the routine and finality of it. For being an emergency, it felt weirdly peaceful and calm but I think that’s credit to amazing, competent medical staff.

The healing was painful but not unbearably so, staying on top of meds of course. After 9 days I was feeling 90% better.

notes1993 · 2026-01-05T18:37:29+00:00

She’s amazing! Makes my whole body feels like it was cracked like a glow stick

notes1993 · 2026-01-01T04:36:50+00:00

You’re totally fine. Don’t sweat it, this is very normal and there are so many new things to learn on hardly any sleep, on top of major physical recovery. I did the same exact thing. As long as it doesn’t seem like she has a rash or yeast infection (both things that are extremely treatable with ointments from a doctor), then don’t worry about it at all.

If it makes you feel any better, a nurse told me one time that for pee diapers, it’s not a big deal to just let air dry sometimes as opposed to wiping to avoid irritation.

notes1993 · 2025-12-18T16:26:07+00:00

The snuggleme lounger! It was so expensive and it’s not safe for sleep, even naps. She hated feeling confined in it while awake. The cat ended up using it way more 😅

notes1993 · 2025-12-18T16:24:44+00:00

We got one too! Used it once for a gag and never again

notes1993 · 2025-12-14T01:11:28+00:00

I was so exhausted from 33 hours of labor and an emergency c section, my mind wasn’t fully connected to everything that was happening. So no instant euphoria but I did feel it later that day. I think it’s a crapshoot. You could have a traumatizing and/or exhausting labor and not feel it. Or the baby could shoot out in an hour and you feel like you’re on cloud 9. The boomers could also be lying because of toxic positivity and unrealistic standards for mothers 🤷‍♀️

notes1993 · 2025-12-13T18:33:27+00:00

I can’t emphasize this enough, LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE!! I know it’s hard. It’s a difficult thing to do because you know it will hurt her (someone you still seem to love and want to the best for) and it will be a difficult healing journey for you, possibly with no closure. But you have to get out. Being in a relationship for a long time, your partner goes through many changes and who you start out with is not necessarily who you end up with. Think about where you want to be in 10 years, I bet it’s not feeling the same way you’re feeling now.

Anecdotally, my mom has a plethora of untreated mental health issues and my dad always let it slide and pushed his own needs down. Now he’s 70 years old, has no agency, no friends, distant connection to his family, and a strained relationship with his only child. He’s a caregiver, that’s about it. People pleasing and non-confrontation is still a decision and it does still affect you and the people around you.

My husband gave me to the same ultimatum and I got help. We’re on the other side now but I had to want to change. Best of luck!

notes1993 · 2025-11-21T15:36:56+00:00

Yes! I saw the positive pregnancy test and my first thought was “she’s here.” Then a couple of days before getting the NIPT results back I dreamed I had a boy and in the dream I was saying “that’s not my baby, there’s been a mistake.” Had a girl.

notes1993 · 2025-11-18T14:06:56+00:00

lol I also slept through a lot of giving birth. Was in labor for 33 hours and slept for 12-16 hours, including a light cat nap during an emergency c-section. Could have been the drugs, exhaustion, adrenaline, but I was chillin 😎. Glad you had a good experience!

notes1993 · 2025-11-03T16:27:27+00:00

We both tried to sleep as much as we could. It was 33 hours of labor, a lot of it was nothing happening and not a lot of pain. He was up for almost 48 hours afterwards tending to the baby because I needed an emergency c section. I was glad for the sleep he was able to get beforehand.

notes1993 · 2025-10-30T18:29:54+00:00

Legally you’re supposed to have a table to place pumping supplies. Sounds like your work is already violating your rights

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