First-time mommas Shay Mitchell and Ashley Graham both understand there’s nothing quite like the journey to motherhood.
The two ladies recently sat down for a raw and honest conversation on the Pretty Big Deal with Ashley Graham podcast where they talked about everything from their respective careers to the most challenging aspects of pregnancy.
Related: Chloë Sevigny Is Pregnant With Her First Child At 45
As our readers will recall, the Pretty Little Liars alum and her boyfriend Matte Babel just welcomed their baby girl named Atlas together in October of 2019. Graham, for her part, hasn’t popped yet — but the expectant starlet used her time with Mitchell to discuss something they both can relate to: prepartum depression.
The 32-year-old former Sports Illustrated model began:
“I want to talk about something that you had said and I think you said the term prepartum depression. I want to talk about this, because I can’t say definitely that I went through it, but I can say that I might have gone through something like it.”
On how her mental health suffered in the wake of finding out about her pregnancy, she continued:
“Because here I am, I’m pregnant and it’s not like I was trying to get pregnant or I wasn’t trying. It just happened so it was a surprise. Then all of the sudden my emotions, my mind, my body, things that I always had control over are now totally out of whack. I can’t talk to anybody about it, my husband doesn’t understand but he’s trying to be as supportive as possible. My mom is like, ‘Oh you’ll be fine.’ I think I was spiraling a little bit and I was crying a lot.”
Ugh. What a bittersweet rollercoaster of emotions to go through…
Those sentiments were all too familiar for Shay who experienced similar things during her pregnancy:
“I mean every single thing that you just said is exactly what I went through. My mom said the same thing, and I’d be crying to her and she’d be like, ‘You’re just emotional, it’s just the hormones.’ And okay cool it might be, but you don’t want to hear that. Like, yes it is, if it is the hormones I’m still feeling that way. It doesn’t take away from this feeling, and it’s completely isolating.”
The YOU actress also shared how the painful memory of her previous miscarriage only added to her stress and anxiety in the months leading up to her daughter’s arrival:
“Because of the experience I’d gone through before with the miscarriage, I didn’t want to tell my closest friends that I was pregnant this time because the thought of having to go back to them after and being like, ‘It didn’t happen this time again,” was really a painful thought for me. So I just thought I’ll keep it to myself for as long as possible…It was just really lonely.”
Luckily, the two found comfort in sharing their experiences with each other:
“It’s a really crazy period that I don’t think people talk about enough. I heard so much about postpartum which is also a real thing, but I’d never heard about prepartum depression.”
To be completely honest with you, Perezcious readers, we weren’t exactly familiar with the term before this discussion. And pregnant or not, just about everyone can benefit from understanding this condition a bit more.
Related: Ashley Graham Flaunts Her Flexible Pregnant Bod! LOOK!
Oh, and remember that empowering photo Ashley posted of her stretch marks shortly after she debuted her bump? The bold move garnered high praise across social media, but for her, it was a nervewracking experience:
“I had just finished a crying session and then I posted that. I think in that moment what I wanted to do was use social media to find a community that wasn’t just about body positivity. It was more so about I’m in this space that I’m not happy, but I’m going to talk about it.”
Keep being honest and transparent, ladies! The world can always use more real conversations like these.
BTW, you can listen to the full version of their chat HERE.
Perezcious readers, give your mom a hug after reading this and then drop us a line with your thoughts in the comments section (below)!
[Image via Derrick Salters/Instar/WENN]
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