OPENING UP ON POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION
Everyone has flaws, even stars. Celebrity mums share their experiences on the baby blues, writes SYAHIRAH MOKHTAZAR
CELEBRITIES are humans, just like us; they have flaws and life struggles, too. Recently, model and television host Chrissy Teigen, wife of award-winning singer John Legend, opened up about her struggles with postpartum depression after giving birth to their daughter, Luna, in April last year.
Teigen, 31, is known on Twitter for her comical stories and anecdotes about motherhood, but she was serious when she penned an article for Glamour magazine about the sadness and pain of the baby blues.
“I had everything I needed to be happy. But, yet, for most of last year, I felt unhappy,” she wrote.
“What everyone around me — except for me — knew up until December was this: I have postpartum depression.
“How can I feel this way when everything is so great? I have had a hard time coming to terms with that, and I hesitated to talk about this as everything becomes such a ‘thing’.”
The article went viral on social media and Teigen was praised for her transparency in voicing out a topic most women shy away from.
Local artiste Yasmin Hani Richardson, a mother of two, said she could relate to the Teigen’s experience.
“I experienced postpartum depression after giving birth to my second child, Eissa Elzander Wong.
“I went through an emergency Caesarean section and noticed that my body changed right after. My emotions went haywire.
“When I was pregnant, my father died. I was going through a lot of commotion in my life.”
She said this at the launch of
Cerita-cerita Didi & Friends , an animated series for children, at Sunway Velocity Mall in Kuala Lumpur recently.
“I would break down in tears
when my husband went out for a meeting. I didn’t know why I was in such a state, but I had no control over it.
“I would ask myself, why am I like this? Because when it hits, I had no control,” Yasmin said.
She also has a son, Noah Ismail, who will be turning 4 this year.
Another celebrity mother, Hanis Zalikha, who was also at the event, said fortunately, she went through a breezy confinement period after giving birth to her son, Yusuf Iskandar, in June last year.
“I told my husband (actor Hairul Azreen) that he had to be confined, too, while I undergo my confinement period.
“It is important for husbands to be there and give emotional support to their wives after they (the wives) give birth.”
Hanis said awareness on postpartum depression should be emphasised on fathers-to-be so they would know what their wives were going through emotionally.
“Husbands should give their full attention to their wives. Be sure to give them love, and tell them it’s going to be okay.
“The number one priority should be the mother, followed by the baby. If the mother isn’t okay, the baby won’t be okay,” Yasmin said.
The two celebrities encouraged women not to shy away from talking about the baby blues should they experience it.
“Postpartum depression should never be taken lightly. We don’t know what people go through behind closed doors. In worst case scenarios, some even kill their own child,” Yasmin said.
Cerita-cerita Didi & Friends is a new animated series by Digital Durian and Astro.
It follows the adventures of Didi and his friends. For RM15.90, viewers can watch the 20-episode show for five days in a row starting March 16 on Astro First (channel 480).