When Clean Doesn’t Feel Safe: Understanding Contamination OCD in Motherhood

For new mothers, keeping a baby safe and healthy is a top priority. But for some, this responsibility becomes clouded by fear, guilt, and rituals that take over daily life. This might look like: repeated hand washing and sanitizing routines; engaging in time consuming rituals that provide only temporary relief from feelings of uneasiness; choosing isolation over the company of loved ones, due to fear of illness or contamination; experiencing irritation, anger, and rage when others interrupt or do not follow important safety protocols. If safety behaviors consume your waking hours and motherhood looks and feels nothing like you imagined, this might be more than “new parent anxiety;” you might be experiencing postpartum OCD.   

What Is Contamination OCD in Motherhood?

Contamination OCD (a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder) involves intrusive fears about germs, illness, bodily fluids, chemicals, or other forms of “contamination.” In the postpartum period, these fears often center around something harmful happening to the baby.

These fears can be accompanied by compulsions—repetitive behaviors like excessive handwashing, cleaning, avoiding certain tasks or people, or mentally reviewing past actions to ensure nothing “bad” happened.

It’s not about being a “neat freak.” It’s not about being overly cautious.
It’s about feeling consumed by the fear that you might somehow harm your baby by being careless, dirty, or “not careful enough.”

How Common Is It?

Postpartum OCD affects up to 3–5% of new mothers, and contamination is one of the most common subtypes. It often shows up in the first few weeks after birth, but can emerge or worsen months later—especially during cold/flu season, after a baby illness, or when returning to work or daycare.

Unfortunately, many women suffer in silence for months or even years. Studies show that people with OCD often wait 7–10 years to receive a proper diagnosis and treatment.

Common Pain Points for Mothers with Contamination OCD

Contamination OCD in motherhood can feel invisible on the outside—but internally, it’s exhausting. Here are some of the most common pain points:

1. Fear of Harming the Baby Through Germs or Illness

  • Obsessive worry that touching or holding the baby might spread illness

  • Fear of passing on viruses, bacteria, or toxins from clothing, hair, or hands

2. Excessive Cleaning and Washing

  • Handwashing that leaves skin cracked or bleeding

  • Sterilizing bottles, pacifiers, or toys multiple times “just in case”

  • Avoiding baby gear or spaces that feel “contaminated”

3. Intrusive Thoughts and Mental Rituals

  • Replay of moments where you might have forgotten to clean or sanitize

  • Mentally checking for symptoms or seeking reassurance

  • “Undoing” rituals—repeating cleaning or avoiding things that feel dangerous

4. Avoidance of Bonding Moments

  • Hesitating to breastfeed or cuddle

  • Avoiding diaper changes or feeding out of fear

  • Feeling emotionally disconnected from baby due to fear dominating interactions

5. Guilt, Shame, and Feeling Broken

  • Believing “I’m a bad mom for having these thoughts”

  • Fearing judgment or misunderstanding from providers or family

  • Isolation from social support due to fear of germs or illness exposure

The Good News: Contamination OCD Is Treatable

There is nothing fundamentally wrong with you.  You are a loving, caring parent who wants to protect your child.  Your mind is not broken—it’s actually working “too well” on the task of protecting your baby/child/children. Think of it like your mind operating with a false alarm system—seeing possible threat and danger in all directions at all times. You and your mind are actually on the same team—both trying to protect your loved ones. We just need to recalibrate the system, and there is a straight-forward, evidence-based way of doing exactly this—it’s called Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).  ERP is the gold-standard treatment for OCD, including postpartum OCD. With properly paced interventions, you can gradually face your fears without relying on compulsions—so that the thoughts lose their power and you feel a restored sense of agency.  There are many misconceptions about ERP, even among well-meaning therapists who have not been trained in this intervention, which has led many to fear ERP and conclude that it is “too overwhelming” and that clients “can’t tolerate it” and will “drop out of treatment early.”  Properly paced and supported ERP is difficult—no doubt— but it is absolutely doable!  My clients are often surprised at how well they are able to tolerate ERP, and how quickly they begin to experience life-changing results. 

What Life Can Look Like After Treatment

You wash your hands once and move on.
You cuddle, play, and engage with presence; with your whole self, instead of a distracted self who is always scanning for threat or danger.
You trust your instincts—not your OCD.
You drop the all-day replay of events designed to determine when you or your baby/child may have come in contact with illness or toxins (and then you get hours of your life back).
You feel less dread and begin to connect with joy and more ease.

You Deserve Relief—And You Can Feel Like Yourself Again

If you see yourself in these words, know that you are not alone. You are not fundamentally flawed or hopeless. And you can feel better with the right support and expertise. Send me an email or call today to see about working together: Sara@bepsychotherapy.com; 443-470-3124.

Let’s Do This!

I’m Dr. Sara Nett, a licensed psychologist specializing in:

  • Emetophobia in motherhood

  • Postpartum anxiety and contamination OCD

I offer evidence-based, compassionate therapy to help you feel better, faster. 

🌐 www.bepsychotherapy.com
📧 [sara@bepsychotherapy.com]
📍 Offering in-person therapy in Baltimore, MD and telehealth to nearly all 50 states and US territories (credentialed member of PSYPACT)

 

Controlling Anxiety, Evidence-Based Therapy, Exposure Therapy, Postpartum OCDSara Nett