Intrusive thoughts

[~Megan~]

I was just reading in another thread and it was mentioned that intrusive thoughts are a sign that you need to go to a doctor immediately.

I had this a lot with dd. Mostly I imagined that worst things that could happen in any given situation. For example, I'd be about to walk up stairs and I'd imagine that I dropped her while walking up or there'd be a sharp turn in the road and I'd imagine accidently missing the turn.

The thoughts were always about accidents in which dd was hurt.

Was this an indicator to go to the doctor or of PPD?

I had it happen a very few times with ds but with dd it was all the time, everyday.

[gwerydd]

intrusive thoughts are often caused by PPOCD. it is a good idea to confide in someone about the intrusive thoughts so that you can deal with them better. if you have a therapist they may be able to help you with methods of minimizing the thoughts without medication. if they get really bad or disturbing then sometimes medication is helpful. if you were able to funcion even with the thoughts and they got better than it probably wasn't necessary for you to go to the doctor.

[~Megan~]

I just prayed. It got better over time.

Is PPOCD postpartum obsessive complusive disorder?

[Genesis]

It depends on what the intrusive thoughts are. For example: if you were having thoughts of your child being hit by a car when you turned away for a second while you guys were outside playing...that's an intrusive thought, but doesn't mean you need to immediately go to a doctor. (it could be a sign of PPOCD or PPD, but not necessarily. If you say it just went away for you and you didn't have any further problems, then I am guessing you didn't have either disorder) But, if a mom is having thoughts that her child is evil, or is the devil, something like that, then that is a sign that she needs to seek help immediately, because she could very possibly have PPP. (Postpartum Psychosis)

Originally Posted by ~Megan~

Is PPOCD postpartum obsessive complusive disorder?

Yes.

[jenn5388]

hello!

My daughter is 3.5 now, but I had thoughts like that too after she was born.. mine centered around her either getting hurt or me hurting myself..

I had really scary thoughts all the time.. I couldn't use a knife of any kind because I pictured stabbing myself with it, cutting myself with a razor.. then the thoughts morphed into throwing my daughter across the room..

I didn't want to do these things, but the thoughts kept coming.. it was rough. it did get better..

every once in awhile i find myself worrying still about hurting myself by falling down or stabbing myself with something by accident or miranda running out in traffic.. just today DH was backing out of the driveway and I imagined throwing myself under the car and getting ran over.. I wondered where that came from.. i don't have any urge at all to hurt myself or others though. I did read it's a OCD thing though.

It's pretty random stuff now Really strange.. one day it's there, then it will be gone for months, and it will come back. Normally if i'm stressed out i notice more of these thoughts.

Hope you find something that makes you feel better!

[Bird Girl]

I would say that almost everyone has the occasional intrusive thought after their baby is born--it's probably related to the incredible changes in brain structure that pregnancy and child birth bring about. For me, personally, I would get outside help if my thoughts were related to me intentionally hurting the baby--like I thought I might throw the baby out the window, or cut him with the knife I was holding. The ones I had were more of the outrageously unlikely accident--that the baby might somehow fall out of my arms down the stairs, and be smashed to pieces at the bottom, or that our car would flip over and burst into flames and I wouldn't be able to get him out of his seat. They were gruesome and upsetting, but I wasn't afraid that I might hurt the baby on purpose, only that he would somehow get in terrible trouble through some unforeseen accident.

It's scary either way, but I'd have been more unnerved if I thought I might cause the pain. I think it's really common, however, and it's just that people don't like to talk about it in real life.

[MommytoKaelah]

Originally Posted by Bird Girl

The ones I had were more of the outrageously unlikely accident--that the baby might somehow fall out of my arms down the stairs, and be smashed to pieces at the bottom, or that our car would flip over and burst into flames and I wouldn't be able to get him out of his seat. They were gruesome and upsetting, but I wasn't afraid that I might hurt the baby on purpose, only that he would somehow get in terrible trouble through some unforeseen accident.

It's scary either way, but I'd have been more unnerved if I thought I might cause the pain. I think it's really common, however, and it's just that people don't like to talk about it in real life.

I feel so relieved to have find this thread. These are exactly my thoughts... doing something "careless" or accidental that would hurt my baby. tripping down stairs, leaving her in the car, etc. if i am crossing over a bridge i torture myself wondering if the bridge collapsed would i be able to get her out of the car seat and out of the car in time for us to survive. I am a worrier by nature but i think this goes beyond and it must be hormone related. I am crying as i type this because i thought there was something wrong with me. i feel so alone when i get these thoughts because it would be useless trying to talk to DH about them and noone else would understand. it is comforting to know i am not crazy.

[Bird Girl]

Not crazy at all! Just enjoying (heh) the combination of hormones and sleep deprivation.

By the way, in my mom's group, everyone said that they had this type of thought. And everyone also said that their husbands looked at them sideways when they confessed to them--I guess it doesn't happen to dads, at least not as often!

[dnr3301]

I remember standing at the top of the steps, frozen, trying to figure out which steps were safe to walk on, because if I picked the wrong ones, we'd fall. That was PPD. The simple "falling down the steps" is not. It took me forever to get down the steps (those darned "safe steps" kept changing on me).