Do you ever panic even though your child is safe?

[Mommawoo]

Sometimes after I drop dd off at mils house or leave her with dp to go out, there will be a brief moment where I cannot remember where she is and will panic that I've left her somewhere. This also happens when I wake up from a nap and shes not next to me. Is it the sleep deprivation or does this happen to others?

Bollocks, meant to post in chat

I get this, but for a split second each time.

I get this (DC are 6 & 4), as well as intrusive thoughts about them being hurt. It's only when I'm tired/ emotionally strained and I take it as a mental health warning sign. Horrible.

I get this often; mostly at night if i go toilet i always peep on dc and i imagine i cant see them
In bed. Its scary.

I get this every night at least once and always if I fall asleep during the day. I spring up in pure panic. DD is 4 & it started the day she was born

All the time and it's horrible.

I wake a few times a week and think omg dh get off the baby.... they're in their cots, they've never coslept with both of us! And not that room either... WHY the sheer panic!

I don't get this exactly but I do get vivid thoughts of terrible accidents happening to DS - even if I am not with DS - like if I am crossing a busy road I will imagine him running out and being hit by a car.

I think it is a natural protection mechanism - your brain plays out horrific things (losing them, accidents) to constantly remind you of what you need to do to protect them.

I guess its pretty common then, and yy to the intrusive thoughts

Out of curiosity, do men ever get this? My dp never experiences it and thought I was weird when I mentioned it.

I get this when I am at work with my work brain on, and someone says 'who is looking after your kids today?' - I almost always have a moment of panic when I think I may have accidentally left them at home on their own, or forgotten to leave work and pick them up (please note that this has never actually hapoened).

YY to what Bubbins said.

No I don't. If anything, I forget them when at work.

**Mommawoo my DH gets it too, although he has an anxiety disorder so it is partly linked to that. I hate it, I have to force myself to go and check on DD sometimes in the evening as I am convinced there will be something wrong and am frightened to look.

I have worked with kids for years so always very risk aware but never the sense of dread I have with DD that something terrible could happen and snatch her away from us.

I did when DD2 went full time at preschool. I had it planned out - drop off at school, train to Manchester, shopping, lunch, home and then pick up.
I got off the train and my stomach dropped through the floor when I couldn't find DD's hand next to mine! It took me the longest 10 seconds of my life to remember she was in school

Yes, all of the time. The intrusive, horrible thoughts of them being hurt or killed are one of the worst aspects of parenting. When ds was tiny I had a sudden fear the someone would try and throw him off a bridge near where we lived. Totally ridiculous fear but I just can not unthink it. I hate going over that bridge.

Yes, still. My youngest is 9...

DS 6 goes to a special school. They called today and I totally shit myself. He's been having lots of drop seizures lately.

Ridiculous to panic as he was sat on my lap!