If there is anything I have learned from my experience with postpartum OCD, it is that moms truly need to take care of themselves physically and mentally to avoid feeling burned out. The mental load that we carry as moms can sometimes be suffocating and leave us feeling drained. A lot of times, moms are the ones that have to think of all the little things that our children need to have a successful day. The responsibility seems to fall on moms, and that is stressful and draining. On top of that, we do everything while being sleep deprived, making everything feel 100 times worse.

For example, trying to leave the house with my two daughters can sometimes leave me feeling burned out. To leave my house it requires for me to think of everything they will need while we are out: diapers, wipes, snacks, drinks, toys, etc. On top of that, I have to make sure they are ready to even leave the house: getting the girls dressed, socks, shoes, car seat, diaper bag, etc. My husband will do anything to help me, but he doesn’t really think of the stuff that we need like I do. Even walking to the car with my two daughters and getting everyone in the car can leave me feeling drained.

Another time that can be really stressful for moms is nighttime. Nighttime is really challenging for me because I have to make sure that I have everything I will need at night to be ready to wake up at any time. The amount of items I need for nighttime stresses me out. I have to make sure I have both monitors charging and on loud, diapers, wipes, extra outfits, etc. I don’t want to forget anything because the more time I waste at night means the less sleep I get, which is already not much. Like I said before, my husband will help me with anything I need, but I am the one who has to think of these things.

I can always tell when I am starting to reach the point of burn-out. I am a lot more irritable and become emotional. This time around, I have tried so hard to prove that I can do it all because I don’t want any signs of struggle to mean postpartum OCD. The truth is, all moms struggle with the mental load, postpartum OCD or not. Motherhood is hard, and what we do is amazing. Moms do it all while sick, struggling with our mental health, working, and we do it all with love to give our kids the best life possible. Remember, the mental load is hard, but we deserve breaks too.