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 #speakthesecret 

Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts

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“This thread is amazing. Needs to be turned into a list and handed out to expecting moms by every ob/gyn. They tell women everything under the sun about what to expect for 9 months; why not this?!”

“I think it’s wonderful you’re making this list for new moms. It would have been reassuring for me to know I was ‘normal'”

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“Scary Thoughts” is an expression used to encompass any and all categories of upsetting thinking that can interfere with the well-being of a new mother. Scary thoughts refer to negative, repetitive, unwanted and/or intrusive thoughts or images that can bombard you at any time (Dropping the Baby and Other Scary Thoughts by Kleiman & Wenzel, 2010). Scary thoughts are anxiety-driven, they are extremely COMMON, and most new mothers admit that have, at some time, imagined or worried about harm coming to their babies. The shame of having these thoughts can prevent women from speaking about them. In response to women telling us they feel isolated and ashamed of their thoughts, we asked women to share their scary thoughts in an attempt to help them express these distressing ruminations, so they can get relief and also help other mothers understand how universal this phenomenon is.

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IMPORTANT NOTE: Thoughts of suicide are scary, but they are in a different category from anxiety-driven “scary thoughts” to which we refer on this page. If you are having thoughts of suicide, this should always be taken seriously and we urge you to find someone you trust and let them know how you are feeling.

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The objective of our #speakthesecret campaign is to obliterate the stigma attached to scary thoughts which are so common in new motherhood.

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Our page is an ongoing list of the thoughts that brave women have chosen to share in the hopes of helping women know they are not alone and that having scary thoughts is common during pregnancy and the postpartum period. We will add thoughts as they are submitted.

 

DISCLAIMER: This list is anonymous. We do not ask for any identifying information and therefore are unable to contact you. You can contact us at any time if you want to modify or delete your submission. We reserve the right to edit or not include a submission if, for any reason, we feel its content is unsuitable for this forum and are not able to respond to individual clinical or medical concerns. We may decide to create a meme from your words which may be (anonymously) posted on various social media platforms. 

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Please keep in mind that this forum is not a substitute for professional intervention and submitting your scary thought will NOT give you access to treatment. There is no follow-up after you post. If you are worried about the way you feel, we urge you to contact a support person and a qualified healthcare provider. If you need assistance locating a provider who can help you, please email us at support@postpartumstress.com.

Submit Your Scary Thought below and help reduce the stigma
Order a copy of GOOD MOMS HAVE SCARY THOUGHTS by Karen Kleiman. It will help you feel better.
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My baby was going to die in the middle of the night and I was going to find her in her crib cold and lifeless.

I hate it when when I had a bad day with my kids and then my husband comes home from work to be the super patient hero role-model dad while I am the frustrated and annoyed mom. I hate him for acting so understanding and lovable even though I know him feeling like me won’t help the situation. It makes me hate him and myself even more for failing. But then again he isn’t there for those bad days when it’s just crying, whining, clinging and there is just not one single minute for myself.

I’m a doctor and My labour ended in a scary emergency c section and I just remember lying on the table in theatre after my baby was born as they stitched me up. I was in a total panic and I remember feeling my heart rate get higher and higher. The doctor asked if I was having chest pain and I suddenly thought “this is it I’m dying” and I pictured my husband and baby attending my funeral. I told the anaesthetist and he said I was fine but I felt like no one was listening. I insisted on checking my own vitals on the screen and have them read out to me when I couldn’t see the screen myself. Doctors (especially ones with anxiety like me) are the worst patients.

I hate being a mom, I don’t feel like myself anymore. I never wanted kids and my husband did… I thought I was being selfish by denying him a chance to be the great father I knew he’d be, but now I resent him. If I could go back and not have our son, I would.

That my husband and I will suddenly pass in our sleep and our daughter will be left alone in her crib where no one will find her.

I have a background in social work and mental health, and the first months of my baby’s life were so smooth I thought I definitely “had it beat.” (“It” being PPD). Around the time I went back to work and my baby was about 4 or 5 months old, everything went haywire.
I started having fits of rage towards my baby, my husband, and myself. The house wouldn’t be clean the way I wanted and I would kick things, throw them across the house, scream uncontrollably at my husband. I felt so bad because I knew my husband was doing his best as a dad and a partner and was going above and beyond for me.I started having intrusive thoughts of hurting my baby whenever he would cry – putting a pillow over his face, putting my hand over his mouth. One night, my baby would not stop crying no matter what. My husband had left to go get us food and I squeezed my baby’s face between my hands and yelled at him to stop. I knew I didn’t squeeze hard enough to hurt him but I felt so bad immediately afterwards and when my husband got home I told him I couldn’t be alone with the baby anymore. I started googling horror stories of babies being squeezed to death and had convinced myself I had caused him serious harm, even though my husband looked him over and promised me he was fine. I couldn’t sleep that night, I kept looking him over for bruises on his face or signs of a concussion. I convinced myself I needed to stay awake all night in order to monitor him for signs of pain.

I had a dream and now intrusive thoughts of a sexual act with my daughter and now I can hardly look at her without feeling like a monster. I’m so afraid to be near her.

I’m a mother of three children. Recently I’ve come to just cringe at seeing OTHER people’s babies… I feel so much hate towards it. I feel grossed out or something. I can’t tell if it’s “cute”. I have a baby myself. He is 1 and I don’t feel that way towards him at all. I’m just wondering why I’ve developed this suddenly.

I sometimes feel that as a mother you can’t express to people how you really feel, like the unfiltered truth. Sure you tell them that you’re tired and sleep deprived. But you’ll always tell them with some kind of smile. Like ‘oh yeah I am so tired haha’. That’s how you tell people. But in your reality, at home, you’re in the bathroom alone, telling the same thing to yourself only with tears coming down the face instead of that smile.

I think I’ve had almost every thought that others have posted here, the most common for me however is dropping my baby, the mental images in my mind are terrifying and cause so much anxiety. I even have a fear of the bed/bath etc falling through the ceiling and landing on my baby Which affects where I place her when she’s in her chair downstairs. So exhausting!

I’m so sleep deprived that sometimes I think about physically fighting my husband or totally abandoning my toddler and newborn. I haven’t slept in days and I just don’t know what to do

This year was supposed to be different. After 2 years being a stay-at-home mom my daughter was supposed to go to daycare so I had a few months to myself before her brother would join us. Just doing the things I love, resting, things that don’t evolve around my kid or the household. Then corona came. Now I am stuck at home for more than 9 months with two kids and a husband that works in the living room. I need to make sure everyone is happy. But I am not. Don’t I deserve some childfree time? Is that such a privilege for me as a mother that I have to ask, beg or cry for it over and over again? It never changes and I continue crying everyday.

I’m 19mo postpartum and I still haven’t gotten help for my ppd. I want my son to have a happy, mentally healthy mother but I can’t help believing that I deserve to feel like this. Kept my pregnancy from my family and friends and didn’t take care of myself because I was dealing with an emotionally abusive boyfriend who swore I wouldn’t have this baby. Once my family found out (at 8months) he suddenly pretended like he’s been the most supportive and loving person to me. I have issues leaving him with my son alone or even with his parents bc I’m afraid he will get upset and hurt him. But I need a break so bad especially with the pandemic it’s hard to leave the house. I have no one to go to to talk about this because 1. I have no friends and 2. I don’t want to make myself seem like a horrible mom.

♥ THANK YOU ♥
to all the brave women who continue to disclose their scary thoughts.

Together, we will educate many and help reduce the anxiety and stigma. #speakthesecret

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