Pregnant Chrissy Teigen worries she’ll experience postnatal depression again
Chrissy Teigen’s been very open about her battle with postnatal depression (PND) with daughter Luna, and on the weekend she spoke about her concerns that she’ll face another bout, once her little boy is born.
“The perfect people”
Chrissy was speaking at the Create and Cultivate Conference in Los Angeles (along with fellow business boss mums Kim Kardashian and Lauren Conrad) when the conversation turned to the trickier parts of mum life. She told the assembled audience she most definitely had misgivings about the postpartum period and a recurrence of PND, but was much better prepared than the first time around.
“Do I worry about it with this little boy? I do. But I also know that I feel like when it does happen, if it does, I’m so ready for it. I have the perfect people around me for it. That’s why I really stand for a good core group of people around you.”
“That’s the way it is”
“I didn’t know I had it,” Chrissy says of her first experience of PND. “I knew that I had an incredible life, and an incredible husband, and family, and all the resources necessary, and I knew that I was personally unhappy, but I didn’t think anything was wrong with it because I just assumed that that’s the way it was. You have a kid, you’re sad, you lose those endorphins, and that’s the way it is.”
Of course, that’s not the way it is and thankfully Chrissy got the support she needed to recover and eventually thrive. It all started with a much-needed trip to the doctor, where it dawned on her that what she was going through was not something she should simply “tough out”.
“I went to my GP for a physical. John sat next to me. I looked at my doctor, and my eyes welled up because I was so tired of being in pain. Of sleeping on the couch. Of waking up throughout the night. Of throwing up. Of taking things out on the wrong people. Of not enjoying life. Of not seeing my friends. Of not having the energy to take my baby for a stroll.”
“My doctor pulled out a book and started listing symptoms. And I was like, ‘Yep, yep, yep.’ I got my diagnosis: postpartum depression and anxiety,” Chrissy explained in a 2017 essay.
Sharing the load
It’s confirmation that PND does not discriminate, and even mums with apparently charmed lives can suffer from the condition.
No doubt Chrissy will keep fans in the loop about her mental health, once her baby boy arrives. It’s the kind of oversharing we’re super grateful for, because it helps other women to feel less isolated – and perhaps will encourage them to reach out for help if they are in crisis.
Chrissy’s second baby – with husband John Legend – is due in June. The couple are apparently undecided on names, but are pretending to ponder Dick Legend for their little boy. #snort
If you or someone you know is showing symptoms of PND – please don’t be afraid to reach out. PANDA are waiting for your call and want to help.
