165. Perinatal OCD vs Normal Parental Anxiety: How to Tell the Difference

🤰These Thoughts Don’t Mean You Want to Harm Your Baby

In this second of two episodes about perinatal OCD on The OCD Whisperer Podcast, Kristina Orlova is joined again by Betty Flores, LCSW, a perinatal mental health specialist and founder of Perinatal Wellness, for an honest and deeply needed conversation about perinatal OCD, intrusive thoughts, pregnancy, and postpartum mental health.

Betty shares her own lived experience with undiagnosed perinatal OCD—including how both she and her therapist initially missed the signs—and how that journey ultimately led her to specialize in helping parents who feel terrified by thoughts they don’t understand.

Betty opens up about:

• Experiencing intrusive thoughts during postpartum that were misunderstood as “normal worry”

• Why perinatal OCD is often missed or minimized—even by trained professionals

• Taboo intrusive thoughts involving harm and why they don’t reflect intent

• How reassurance, checking, and mental review quietly fuel the OCD cycle

• Why ERP therapy and proper education changed everything

Whether you’re pregnant, postpartum, supporting a loved one, or trying to understand intrusive thoughts, this conversation offers clarity, education, and relief—without minimizing how real and painful this experience can be.

📲 About Betty Flores (guest):

• Certified in Perinatal Mental Health | EMDR | ERP

• Perinatal OCD/Anxiety, Reproductive Trauma, Grief & Loss

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perinatal_wellness/

• Perinatal Wellness: https://www.perinatal-wellness.com/

✂️ TIMESTAMPS:

[00:00] – When the Expert Misses OCD in Herself: A Therapist’s Undiagnosed Perinatal OCD [03:19] – Why Perinatal OCD Is So Often Misdiagnosed (Even by Professionals) [05:40] – Normal Parent Worry vs OCD: The One Difference That Changes Everything [07:25] – OCD Is the Doubting Disease: How “What If” Thoughts Take Over [08:15] – Can You Control OCD During Pregnancy? What Actually Helps [09:25] – What Postpartum OCD Really Looks Like (Thoughts, Urges, and Checking) [10:37] – Responsibility, Parenthood, and OCD’s Biggest Trap [13:20] – How Common Is Perinatal OCD (And Why Parents Stay Silent) [14:59] – Can Postpartum OCD Turn Into Psychosis? Clearing Up a Common Fear [16:58] – Baby Blues vs Postpartum Depression: The Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

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✅ About OCD Whisperer

Welcome to OCD Whisperer! Each episode shares tools and insights for OCD recovery, managing intrusive thoughts, ERP therapy, CBT techniques, anxiety relief, and mindfulness practices. Join me for expert interviews and personal insights into overcoming OCD. Subscribe to find support, strategies, and hope for your OCD journey.

⚠️ Disclaimer: Please note while the host is a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in OCD and anxiety disorders in the state of California, this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for therapy.

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