Hassocks mum cleaned for five hours a day due to OCD

Angel Stagg, from Hassocks, claims she had a “constant voice in her head” saying her children weren't clean enough as she struggled with postpartum depression and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

OCD is a mental health condition where a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours.

The mum-of-two began to suffer with intense low moods after the birth of her daughter Evelyn, now two, in February 2020.

She struggled to bond with her new baby and felt isolated due to the pandemic.

"As a first-time mum I didn't know what to expect, but I couldn't bond with her,” she said.

"I would look at her and everything to do with her was a chore - like changing her nappy and feeding her.

Angel Stagg with her daughter Evelyn (Image: SWNS)

"Because it was lockdown, I didn't have many people to speak to about it.

"I was crying all the time. I just thought there was something wrong with me."

After the birth of her second child, Jackson, one, in May 2021, the 25-year-old began getting intense intrusive thoughts surrounding the cleanliness of her children, herself and her home.

Within a few weeks of Jackson's birth, her cleaning routine was taking up her entire mornings - and she would often spend up to five hours scrubbing her home.

"It was like I had a voice in my head that would say tell me everything was dirty, especially the kids,” she said.

"As soon as I woke up in the mornings it would hit me. 'Mornings were always the worst.

"I would avoid parts of the house and then do a really big clean.

"I always had this feeling that I was dirty, that the kids were dirty, no matter how much I cleaned around the house.

"I would get incredibly anxious and couldn't relax.

"When I did clean, I would feel guilt for not spending enough time with the kids.”

The situation got so bad that she began to wish she “hadn't had kids at all” but finally managed to seek advice from her GP in June 2021.

“After a month of really awful intrusive thoughts, I told my boyfriend the truth and we got help,” she said.

"The GP asked me if I had a separate voice in my head causing the intrusive thoughts.

''They were really understanding and just confiding about it and being listened to helped so much.

"It was like a weight lifted off my shoulders."

Angel is expecting her third child (Image: SWNS)

Angel's condition is now being managed with medication and she has been referred for talking therapy through the NHS Time To Talk scheme.

"It's not fixed the problem, but it does ease things,” she said.

"It gives me the ability to get out of bed each morning and face the day."

She has set up Instagram account @apparentlyangel to connect with other mothers and raise awareness about maternal mental health through her Instagram account.

Angel, who is now expecting her third child in June, wants to let others struggling with similar symptoms know they are not alone.

"I would say to not feel like you're crazy, because you're not,” she said.

"Speak up and ask for help."