Challenging Maternal OCD

I’ve written before about my own battle with Maternal OCD (which you can read here) it was something which escalated over time and affected how I lived my day to day life. I was diagnosed with “regular” (?!) OCD in my late teens, however by the time I fell pregnant it was largely under control…

Intrusive Thoughts – What are they & how to deal with them

*Trigger Warning - this blog has descriptions of Intrusive thoughts that may be distressing or triggering to some, please take care if you feel vulnerable* Disclaimer - this blog post features my own experiences and opinions, please seek advice from your health care professional for treatment for Intrusive thoughts. Intrusive thoughts come up in discussion…

Why starting school is a big deal for Parents who had PND

When your child starts school it is a big deal, no matter how you easy/difficult you found their first few years. Here's why my eldest starting school last year was a huge deal for me as a mum who had a maternal mental illness. **Trigger Warning - Some talk of suicide and intrusive thoughts** Most…

Maternal OCD – My Worst Nightmares

**Trigger Warning - contains talk of intrusive, disturbing thoughts** OCD affected me in my late teens, with therapy I got it under control but after having my baby, I was struck with PND & anxiety and they brought along Maternal OCD for the ride too. I was surprised to see I hadn't written much about…

Recovery – its individual

Recovery means different things to different people. For some it means no longer needing medication, for others, including myself it means being able to do the things your illness prevented you doing before and some people don't believe in the word recovery. These are all valid points, but something I believe is recovery is different…

Having another baby after Postnatal depression

A question I'm asked often is "were all your children planned?" - the short answer is yes they were....I have 3 children very close in age, when my third baby was born I had 3 under 3yrs. During that time I struggled with severe postnatal depression and anxiety that was so bad I didn't leave…

Moving on after Postnatal Depression..

My first taste of motherhood wasn't what I hoped. My daughter is nearly 5 and it's taken me the best part of 4 of those years to make peace with the desperate sense of loss I felt at not enjoying the first precious years with my baby. In previous posts I've explained how postnatal depression…

Anxiety After Recovery ..

Although I am recovered, I think I will always have some degree of anxiety left behind. It's normal for everyone to have anxiety, it's dates back to our caveman days when we sensed danger, our body pumped extra adrenaline giving us our fight or flight response. Obviously we don't really need this anymore, but when…

Agoraphobia: My experience & Recovery

Looking back over my past blog posts I was surprised to see I hadn't written about this, especially as it was probably the most life altering part of my illness. Agoraphobia is described by the NHS website as 'a fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult or that help wouldn't be available if…

Supporting Someone Through PND – By A Dad Who’s Been There

It's Fathers Day here in the UK, I spoke in my previous blog post about Dads who are struggling with postnatal depression; but what about the Dads supporting Mums with PND? Supporting someone through mental illness is difficult and its important that you also have someone to speak to for support. Today's post has been written…