Halle Bailey opens up about her battle with postpartum depression. According Peoplesinger/actress discussed her battle with the condition that affects almost one in seven women in a Snapchat video last week, in which she shared her love for her “perfect” son Halo, while discussing the serious postpartum emotions that came over her.
“I have severe, severe postpartum [depression], and I don't know if any new mom can relate, but it's to the point where it's really bad and it's hard for me to be separated from my baby for more than 30 minutes at a time before I start freaking out,” she said in the clip. In an accompanying Instagram post, Bailey received lots of love and support from other mums, including one who wrote: 'I didn't feel normal in my body until a year after my baby', while another said: 'Thanks for the kind words your postpartum. For using your voice to speak not only for your experience but for so many mothers.”
Little Mermaid The Bailey star and partner DDG quietly welcomed their first child together last year, and in the Snap she called the rapper “the most amazing dad in the world” and praised him for his steadfast support through her postpartum blues. “Halo is a miracle. He is perfect. He's handsome,” she said. “When I look at him, I cry because of how special he is. The only thing that has made it difficult for me is to feel normal in my body. I feel like a completely different person. When I look in the mirror, I feel like I'm in a whole new body. Like, I don't know who I am.”
Like many women who suffer from postpartum depression, Bailey said she worries about the stigma that comes with talking about depression publicly. “Before I had a child and I would hear people talk about childbirth, it would go in one ear and out the other. I didn't realize how serious it actually was,” he said. “Now going through it, it's almost like you're swimming in this ocean that's like the biggest waves you've ever felt and you're trying not to drown. And you're trying to come up for air.”
Most importantly, Bailey stressed that, of course, her depression had “nothing” to do with her son, and that her post was prompted by a comment she read about her family and didn't elaborate. “It's about me and who I am right now. I guess today I just got triggered — especially [since] Social media is just not a good thing to do when you're postpartum — but it really touched me today, especially seeing some of the things that have been said about me and my family, and the one I love and the ones I love.” he said.
In March, Bailey, 23, gave an emotional speech at the 2024 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards, in which she explained why she hid her pregnancy from a “place of protection.”
“There was no way in hell I would share my world's greatest joy with anyone. Halo was my gift. It is the greatest blessing and I had no obligation to expose him, me or my family to this,” Bailey said. “With the state of the world and the position men are in trying to impose their will on our bodies, no one on social media, and certainly no one on the planet, was going to tell me what to do with my body or what to share with the world.”
Bailey and DDG revealed the birth of their son in January with a social media post about becoming new parents. The singer has been doing double duty as a new mom and recording star, releasing her new single, 'In Your Hands' on March 15. shedling baby Halo in the video for the soulful ballad with the soulful chorus, “All in your hands, in your hands/ The world is yours when I'm in/ In your hands, in your hands/ You can't let it go or you'll lose your chance”.
The NIH says that postpartum depression is very common and can start anytime in the first year after giving birth and can also affect fathers and partners as well. Among the typical symptoms are a “persistent feeling of sadness and low mood”, “lack of enjoyment and loss of interest in the wider world”, “lack of energy and feeling tired all the time”, as well as problems with sleep, difficulty with appearance. after the baby or yourself, withdrawal from contact with other people, problems concentrating and making decisions and fearful thoughts, which may include thoughts of harming the baby.
Bailey ended the video with a reminder that being a public figure doesn't mean the harsh things people write about her online don't hurt. “Even though you can look at certain people and think they're celebrities and they seem to have it all together, you never know what someone else is going through, especially someone who's literally just had a baby,” she said.
Check out some of the supportive statements Bailey received on her Instagram post below.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/halle-bailey-talks-severe-postpartum-depression-birth-son-halo-1235664729/