Every mother’s journey through postpartum mood and anxiety disorders like postpartum OCD is her own. Ā And it is a journey, for sure, complete with struggle, setbacks, joy and triumph. Ā Today, Warrior Mom Andrea tells her about her journey from fear and pain to healing, and reminds us how important it is to reach out for support and to have above all, HOPE.
Thank you so much, Andrea, for sharing your story here.
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In an instant, that once perfectly put together puzzle shattered in a million pieces on the ground all around me. Alone, I grabbed the pieces and tried to make sense of how I was ever going to put them back together; the millions of tiny pieces surrounding me were overwhelming. It took a long time to put that puzzle together again-from the missing pieces and not asking for help because I thought I should be able to do it alone, to paralyzing thoughts that maybe I would never put the puzzle back together.
Seven weeks after my daughter was born, terrifying intrusive thoughts took over my mind. Suddenly, I was terrified of the knives in the house, afraid to give my daughter a bath, shocked at what my mind was capable of thinking, unsafe in my own body. The harder I tried to push these thoughts away, the stronger they fought back. I was suffocating and wanted so desperately to go back to the week before where everything in my world was perfect, where I was elated with only happiness, where my dreams had come true, back to that life where intrusive thoughts didnāt exist. Overnight, I became someone that I didnāt know and didnāt want to know. My entire world changed.
That evening, I called my mom to bring me to the Emergency Room. I didnāt know what I needed but I needed something to make the horrible thoughts disappear. Arriving in the parking lot of the hospital that night I was filled with fear of being locked up if I told a doctor about the thoughts I was having, so I convinced my mom that I was fine and we turned around to go home. For the next few years I would search alone for answers and for a quick fix: a vitamin, alternative medicine, an appointment where I would walk in and come back out me again.
Healing doesnāt happen this quickly though. Healing is gradual. Healing is a process. And throughout the process we will have to search for missing pieces; we will have to pick up the pieces one by one. Setbacks come just as you think you have a good rhythm going. After working hard at this puzzle, the pieces may smash to the ground again. But this time itās only half of the puzzle that shattered and, yes you are frustrated but you remember how far you have come, so this time you reach out and ask for help. You begin to see how much easier it is to put these million pieces back together when you have others working with you.
My journey in healing from Postpartum Anxiety and Postpartum OCD began the moment I reached out for support. I found Postpartum Progress, other women who have experienced postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, and I found a therapist. This support changed my life. The healing process wasnāt easy though, it was long and painful and there were many bumps along the way. There were setbacks and moments where I felt like I would never heal. There was so much waiting, my strength and faith were tested, and there was a lot of kicking and screaming for the nightmare to be over. But the days turned into months and somehow I got to the day where I noticed the pain was still there but it didnāt hurt as bad. I noticed growth in myself and in my life. I learned a new way of living. There were still some missing pieces here and there, but I began to see glimpses of beauty that came from a once terrifying time of my life.
When I held my daughter for the first time that day in March I had no idea that terror, fear, and pain were waiting around the corner for me. I didnāt expect to be tested and knocked down so hard by postpartum OCD that I would become unsure if I would ever get back up. But I also didnāt know all of the blessings and good that were waiting for me. I couldnāt see it at the time, but I do now. Ā I have reached a place where the puzzle may not be the same, but it is who I am now, and I am so much stronger because of what I went through. Support was crucial in my healing and I encourage you to use the support systems that exist. You too, with time, will find the strength and courage to pick up the pieces and get back the life you deserve.
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Andrea lives in Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and four animals. She enjoys being a mom, writing, photography, and volunteering as a co-Coordinator for Postpartum Support International. She shares her writings and photographs about her everyday life, overcoming postpartum OCD, and her adoption journey on her personal blog Little Moments Big Memories.
Thank you for sharing your real struggles. It is so helpful to hear stories of recovery.
It is, isn’t it? Andrea does an amazing job sharing how hard it was and still bringing hope to those who are still struggling.
I am so glad that it is helpful. I remember when I first found Postpartum Progress and reading story after story of recovery and being so unsure that I would ever get to that point. It is so hard to believe when you are right in the middle of it. But there are so many of us that are proof that with support and the right help healing will not only happen but amazing things can come out of this too.
Andrea,I can relate to this so much. Healing is such a gradual process. I find it hard to explain to friends who are struggling how I knew when I was healed. I just did. “And throughout the process we will have to search for missing pieces; we will have to pick up the pieces one by one.” This line gave me goosebumps.
I completely agree, Jenny. Her metaphor is just perfect, isn’t it?
Jenny, I followed your story for so long and I agree it is so hard to explain exactly when the healing happened. I remember always wanting to know when would I heal and it was frustrating that no one could give me an exact time when it would happen, making it hard to believe that it ever would really happen for me. But it did, it takes time, but it happens. Thanks for the support and comment š
Hi Susan, thanks for sharing your experience. I’m just wondering how long has your recovery taken, and more importantly, how has your husband dealt with it. That’s the side that is rarely shared. If you don’t mind asking him to share his experience, it’d be really helpful for other dads in the same boat (this is also a request for this site, in general). For husbands, we’re often operating in the dark. My wife’s PPD is slightly different, in that I’m the focused of her negative thoughts and paranoia, not our baby. The timing is about the same. A couple months after our baby was born, she wanted a divorce because she suddenly became so paranoid and so convinced that I’ve done terrible things I haven’t done. A month before our baby was born, we were really happy, planning our long term goals and future together. We were happily married for six years prior too. She just would not accept the fact that PPD has anything to do with it.
Oops, I meant to say this: Susan, can you ask Andrea to ask her husband to share his experience also. For Susan and Katherine, I’m wondering if you can have both parties share their experiences in future articles.
Hi Confused Dad,
We’ve had a few men share their experience on the postpartum progress blog, but it’s definitely an area that needs more discussion. In my case, my husband felt he had lost a partner. He went into a caregiver mode and it took a very long time for us to get back to a partner relationship and for him to trust that I was really better. It was almost a phase of post-recovery-recovery for us. I was sick for 2 years and then it took at least another 6-9 months for our marriage to heal.
Here are some links to articles on the site about men and PPD:
http://postpartumprogress.com/depression-in-men-a-dads-story-of-male-postpartum-depression
http://postpartumprogress.com/dads-speak-out-on-postpartum-depression-part-1-getting-over-the-mountain
http://postpartumprogress.com/for-the-dads-why-you-need-support-through-her-postpartum-depression-too
http://postpartumprogress.com/dads-speak-out-on-postpartum-depression-part-6-trying-to-understand
http://postpartumprogress.com/dads-speak-out-on-postpartum-depression-part-5-diving-in-to-help
There are several more – you can find them by searching for “help for fathers” on the Postpartum Progress Blog Website.
I’m glad you’re seeking information and sharing your story here.
-Susan
Confused Dad,
My husband actually shared his story on here through the series that Susan linked to. I agree and would love to see more posts on how men deal with the situation and how they feel and where they can go for help.
I also wanted to add that Postpartum Support International offers a free chat with an expert specifically for men. Here is that link:
http://www.postpartum.net/Get-Help/PSI-Chat-with-an-Expert.aspx
You can also search on Postpartum Support International for help in your area and they may have resources/support information for men that they can give you. If you need help finding this information please do not hesitate to ask me!
Thanks Susan and Andrea. I’ve already read the Dads series and jotted down things to try, and did the chat last month. Both helped a lot. It’s an ongoing journey though.
Thank you so much Susan š
It was like you were saying my story thank you it gives me hope on one of my bad days
Dear Andrea,
Your story is a true inspiration to me and a source of strength. See I am dealing with a very though outburst of postpartum OCD and it takes every bit of my strength, but I continue to fight and will never give up! See here in Israel where I am from, we donāt have much open conversation about the subject and often women suffer in silence. I am seeing a very good CBT therapist and working very hard, but like you have described, have many setbacks that are devastating and it is really hard to believe sometimes that I will ever recoverā¦ and I miss my old self so much, and feel so bad for my family for going through this with me!
I just wanted to know:
1. what was the biggest contributor to your recovery?
Was it the ERP (did you do ERP) ?
The support of your loved ones?
The time that past?
The meds?
Being busy with work?
Accepting your illness and not feel so bad about it?
2.What was the turning point?
3.Do you think that I’ll ever feel strong enough to have another child?
4.What did you tell yourself when you felt no hope?
Other recovered from pp OCD moms are more than welcome to answer as well ļ
I need all the support I can get; my soul is soooo tired from battling this monster!!! And I feel so aloneā¦
Thank you so much brave amazing women!