 | Sez - November 30 |
|
|
|
|
|
My friend had her second child 9 months ago and is obsessed with cleaning. It started after the birth of her first child. The doctor prescribed her anti depressants, but she had to come off them while pregnat with her second child. She is now reluctant to take the tablets again as she feels they didn't really work the first time and is reluctant to go back to the doctor. Her cleaning obsession is now worse than ever, to the point that she will go home after a baby & toddler group (if we have been able to persuad her to come out) and bath the children and herself and put all their clothes in the wash. If she does come out anywhere, she will not let her younger child crawl on the floor with the other children and will constantly wipe clean the older childs hands/face. She has recently opened up to myself and another friend, but we are unsure of the best way to help her, does anyone have any suggestions?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sez - I'm just like your friend after the birth of my first child 1 month ago which was an IVF/ICSI baby. I'm cleaning like crazy - had nesting whike pregnant which just turned into a 24 hour obsession on birth. I've been put on Prozac, which I hate taking but it seems to be helping. There's a number of different drugs you can take for an OCD - a good doctor should know what they are. You can also do therapy which I've just started but its best with a specialist. She needs to talk to her doctor and get help. The OCD just gets worse - I was getting panic attacks so got help and its slowly getting better. Socialising is supposed to help so keep encouraging her to the toddler and baby groups. It helps me when people tell me what that they don't do as much washing as me and nothing bad has happened (though therapists don't like this). There are also help groups on the internet - just put OCD in.
|
 | J - December 1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sounds like me though I don't think it is a bad thing. I do wash my kids hands and face when we leave somewhere and also carry antibacterial germ killer so we can wipe our hands after touching things other people have touched. I do it because I don't want my kids getting sick. I have a 3 yr old in preschool (full of germs) and a new baby. I do not want the new baby to get sick. I am constantly cleaning my house (it gets dirty quick). I don't think I have a problem I just think I am being careful. My 3 yr. old never gets sick. I think it is good to be clean. My SIL's kids are always sick and she doesn't clean the way I do.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LOL j. i feel the same way! i clean alot, but i also babysite alot and i dont like the house to be dirty. i think the parents pay money to have their kids in a secure/clean environment and its important. i cant stand it. ill clean from 7am-about9am every morning. "brooming,dishes,picking up, keeping the toyrrom tidy and the kids room" lol i seem to never stop. but i also enjoy it. its not like a choire to me , its more like a way to get my mind of things, and in those hours my kids are buy eating breakfast and they watch tv till 9am. so i relax then. we do things together after that. my kids are barely ever sick! even with 5 other kids i babysite in the house (attimes) that are often sick.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I don't think it is a bad thing. Believe it or not, some people actually clean for stress relief. I do, I clean and I garden for stress relief. When you say she has recently opened up, do you mean that she has told you she has a problem with constantly cleaning?
|
 | sez - December 6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hi Lynne, Yes she has recently told us that she thinks she has a problem, as she thinks it has gone a bit far now (the cleaning of the children after they have left the house etc). She has told us that she doesn't want to leave the house most (if not every) day as she know her house is clean and that outside is dirty.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sez, Are some of these people missing the point? I think that what you are trying to say is that the baby cleaning and perpetual cleaning is beginning to affect her life in that she is not leaving the house. I understand that people want their kids to grow up in clean environment, however to strip the kids off after a trip to a toddler group sounds a little extreme to me. As a father who has seen his partner go through a similar thing I think a return visit to the doctor and hopefully a referral to a therapist is the best course of action.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I agree with Brian. If her "problem" is interfering with her daily routine, then she needs help.
|
