Compassionate Therapy for Perinatal OCD: Finding Relief, Reclaiming Trust in Yourself
Are you experiencing scary or intrusive thoughts during pregnancy or postpartum? We specialize in treating Perinatal OCD with ERP and advanced perinatal care. You are not alone—let’s work through this together.
Are Intrusive Thoughts Making It Hard to Feel Like Yourself in Motherhood?
Pregnancy, birth, and the early stages of parenting can be an emotional whirlwind—and for many new or expecting parents, those changes are accompanied by frightening thoughts, compulsions, and an overwhelming sense of fear.
Maybe you’re constantly checking to make sure your baby is breathing. Perhaps your mind is flooded with “what if” thoughts—images or fears that feel disturbing or out of character. You may find yourself avoiding certain places, routines, or even your own baby out of fear you might accidentally do something harmful.
If this sounds familiar, you may be experiencing Perinatal OCD—a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder that can emerge during pregnancy or the postpartum period. It’s more common than most people realize, and with the right support, it is absolutely treatable.
What Is Perinatal OCD?
Perinatal Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder involves unwanted, intrusive thoughts—often about the baby’s safety—paired with mental or behavioral compulsions that aim to reduce anxiety. These thoughts may feel terrifying or shame-inducing, but they do not reflect who you are as a parent.
Common symptoms include: Disturbing thoughts of harm coming to the baby (accidental or intentional), Mental rituals (repeating phrases, praying, counting) to “cancel out” bad thoughts, Avoiding feeding, bathing, or being alone with your baby, Excessive checking (breathing, sleeping, locks, bottles), Intense guilt, shame, or fear of being a “bad mom”, Hypervigilance or fear of losing control
Perinatal OCD can be mistaken for general anxiety or even postpartum depression. While it may overlap with other perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), it has unique features that deserve specialized treatment.
You’re Not Alone—and You’re Not Dangerous
One of the cruelest parts of Perinatal OCD is how alone it makes you feel. These thoughts feel isolating and scary—but they are ego-dystonic, meaning they go against your values and intentions. The very fact that they disturb you is a sign that they are not reflective of who you are.
We understand the intense internal and external changes that make this period so vulnerable:
- Hormonal shifts
- Physical recovery from birth
- Identity changes
- Sleep deprivation
- Breastfeeding challenges
- Relationship shifts
- Cultural pressures around motherhood
- Loss of autonomy and predictability
It’s no wonder your brain is working overtime to keep your baby safe—sometimes, too much so. But with support, you can calm the fear, ease the mental load, and find your way back to trusting your intuition as a parent.
How We Treat Perinatal OCD
At our practice, we specialize in perinatal mental health, and we bring both advanced training and deep empathy to our work with parents facing OCD. Our team includes clinicians with:
- Certification in Perinatal Mental Health (PMH-C)
- Training in The Art of Holding Perinatal Women in Distress
- Specialized experience treating OCD across the lifespan
- Expertise in treating PMADs and their overlaps, including postpartum depression, anxiety, and trauma
Evidence-Based Techniques We Use in Therapy for Perinatal OCD:
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP): The gold-standard treatment for OCD. We help you gradually face feared thoughts or situations without engaging in compulsions—so the anxiety fades naturally over time. ERP is adapted carefully to respect the context of pregnancy, postpartum, and your values as a parent.
The Art of Holding (Karen Kleiman’s model): A relational, attuned approach to working with perinatal distress. We support your emotional safety while helping you tolerate and move through the fear, guilt, and shame that OCD often brings.
Internal Family Systems (IFS): Helps you explore the protective “parts” of you that are working hard to keep your baby safe—and soften the internal war between anxiety and self-trust.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helps identify thought traps and self-judgments, building new patterns of confidence, clarity, and grounded awareness.
Perinatal-Informed Psychoeducation: We help you understand what’s happening in your brain and body during this time, normalize what you’re feeling, and create a plan for relief that fits your lifestyle and values.
Our Approach: Collaborative, Respectful, and Deeply Attuned
We know this isn’t the version of early motherhood or pregnancy you imagined. We won’t rush your process or invalidate your fears. Instead, we’ll walk with you—step by step—until the intrusive thoughts quiet down, your confidence begins to grow, and you start to feel like you again.
We believe in the power of repair, reconnection, and self-trust. Even in the presence of OCD, it’s possible to reclaim joy, deepen your bond with your baby, and reconnect with your intuition.
Frequently Asked Questions About Perinatal OCD Therapy
This is an incredibly common fear. We understand the difference between scary, unwanted thoughts and actual risk. We are here to support—not punish—you, and will work with compassion and clinical discernment.
Yes, ERP and related approaches can reduce the intensity and frequency of intrusive thoughts significantly—and more importantly, reduce the fear they cause.
Many people with Perinatal OCD also experience other PMADs. Our approach integrates care for overlapping symptoms so you don’t have to compartmentalize your healing.
Yes. We offer virtual sessions, and we meet you where you are—whether that’s during a nap window, while pumping, or in your car.