Note: Parenting with ACEs can present us with extra challenges. Being pregnant, giving birth and breastfeeding can all be difficult for many of us. The stresses all parents experience can be compounded depending on our own emotional and physical well-being and the support we have (emotional, financial, family, community). In addition, we might have to consider thing such as going on, staying on or going off of drugs for some period of time during and following pregnancy. We don't talk a lot about these parts of parenting and the experiences we might have or fear having or know nothing about. I spoke with a woman last week who was talking about being shocked to have intrusive thoughts post-partum when that wasn't an issue she dealt with much prior to giving birth. We can do more to get educate and support ourselves and others.
So, with that in mind, here's some information about the symptoms some feel and face post-partum.
"General postpartum mood disorders, specifically depression and anxiety, have been well studied in the literature. However, there is limited data regarding the identification, diagnosis, and management of postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder (ppOCD). Women with this diagnosis are frequently undiagnosed or misdiagnosed and, regretfully, suffer with their symptomatology. The purpose of this review is to educate the clinician on the prevalence and signs and symptoms of ppOCD, and to offer recommendations regarding the pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic management of this disorder."
And, another snippet:
"Mothers with ppOCD have been shown to be less confident, less likely to breastfeed, report more marital distress, and have less social support than healthy peers [13]. Untreated ppOCD can result in negative outcomes in the offspring. OCD can significantly affect the provision of care and interfere with mother-infant bonding [4]. Children of mothers with OCD are more likely to be diagnosed with OCD, internalizing disorders, and depression [14]. Education of the clinician and the mothers regarding the signs and symptoms of ppOCD is of great importance in the successful treatment and remission of the mother and the well-being of the newborn."
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