Hello Baby, Goodbye Intrusive Thoughts

A compassionate, well-researched guide to dealing with obsessive-compulsive disorder as a parent, particularly a new parent.

I received this book as a "Read Now" option on NetGalley. I am a first time mom who suffered from anxiety and OCD before pregnancy, and saw a shift in how they presented postpartum. I came across this title and immediately saved it because it seemed like it would be incredibly helpful at this point in my life. Overall I thought it was a pretty good and quick read. I'll break up my deeper thought based on the parts of the book. Part 1: I thought this part was a bit redundant and probably could have been edited down. It felt like a lot of repeating information and came across as condescending to the reader. In reality I imagine this part was stretched a bit to reflect the length of the other parts, but I feel that was unnecessary. Part 2: This section was my favorite of the book, and is one I'd want to go back to with a physical copy. The practicals were so helpful. The different guided exposure exercises and ideas for journaling or reflection were a huge takeaway for me in particular. I don't want to give away too much, but Part 2 alone will be why I recommend this book to new parents. Part 3: A lot of the information in this part was similar to any other parenting book, but it added the unique lens of anxiety and OCD. It didn't feel like anything groundbreaking, but it was very practical and also validating. Overall: I think the language in this book was super gendered which is surprising for 2024. I'd be curious to know how intrusive thoughts manifest in all parents, not just moms. I also personally like stepping away from defaulting to "mom and dad" and instead leaning into "parents or caregivers." Like I said, overall I thought this book was great. I will likely pick up a physical copy to refer back to and will highly recommend it to other new parents.

This is a must-have resource to help one improve mental health, resiliency, and live a more full and happy life. It is full of great strategies, advice, and easy to implement ideas. This is one I'll return to again and again. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

I can see this tome helping lots of mothers, both first time and seasoned moms! Anxiety and intrusive thoughts are part of the name of the game, and this book both normalizes and helps parents deal with anxiety. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a first time mom who gave birth prematurely and is currently suffering postpartum depression, this book holds a special place in my heart. Knowing that there are a lot of moms feeling guilty and isolated with their thoughts it is actually nice to know that there are other REAL people with the same kind of experience. This book with its realistic approach actually offers assurance to its readers that everything is totally normal and that everything is going to be okay.