Jess Wright opens up about her struggle with ‘debilitating’ postpartum depression
‘I just couldn’t enjoy anything with my son’: Jess Wright opens up about her struggle with ‘debilitating’ postpartum depression, slams ‘dismissive’ use of term ‘baby blues’
- If you have been affected by this story, please contact the Birth Trauma Association at birthtraumaassociation.org.uk
- For help and support with perinatal mental illness contact PANDAS on 0808 1961 776
Jess Wright opened up about her struggle with ‘debilitating’ postpartum depression and criticized the use of the dismissive term baby blues on Tuesday.
The former The Only Way Is Essex star, 36, welcomed a son named Presley with husband William Lee-Kemp in May, and has been open about her experience.
Speaking with Giovanna Fletcher on her podcast, happy mom happy babyJess evaluated her expectations and adjusted to being a new mother.
The reality star explained: “I thought when they said that [baby blues]I was like “Oh, you might feel down for a couple of days, because it’s called the baby blues.”
“But I’m like, ‘You’re totally disguising postpartum depression, which is debilitating.'”
Jess Wright, 36, spoke about her struggle with ‘debilitating’ postpartum depression and criticized the use of the derogatory term baby blues on Tuesday.
She continued: ‘I had that for a month, and then all of a sudden it just went away. It’s scarier because I didn’t know how long it was going to last: some women suffer for 6 months and others more.
‘And b, I just couldn’t enjoy anything with him. My biggest piece of advice in terms of depression or anxiety, or postpartum depression, is to 100% tell someone how you feel.
‘They will never judge you, they will always be there for you if they love you. And there are so many others who are suffering.
Jess went on to talk about the realization that her life was about to change before she had her child.
She said: ‘When I was pregnant, this is hard to admit, around 12 weeks, my friend and sister were at my house. And we were chatting about when we’d been somewhere. And I started to cry, like my life was going to go away, isn’t it?
“Obviously, I felt so guilty, because I thought, ‘I want this baby and I’m so happy to have it, but oh my gosh, I just realized that life is different.
‘You are not just a mother, you are also the person you were before. It’s like crying over your old life.
“You can say when you’ve come out on the other side, to women who feel that way, I promise you it gets better in so many other ways, you can lose certain aspects of freedom, but the good things they bring you outweigh that.” .’
On Air: Speaking with Giovanna Fletcher (right) on her podcast, Happy Mum Happy Baby, Jess (left) weighed in on her expectations and adjusting to being a new mom
Not true: The reality star explained: “I thought when they said that [baby blues]I was like “Oh, you might feel down for a couple of days, because it’s called the baby blues.”
Jess announced the birth of her son on Instagram in May, less than a year after she married businessman William in September 2021.
She captioned the post: “We will hold your hand forever 17~05~22.”
The television personality has been open about her struggle with postpartum depression, her battle with the skin condition, psoriasis, and lack of sleep.
Jess admitted, while some days she finds parenthood “okay,” on others she admits it’s not so easy.
Download Giovanna Fletcher’s Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast every Tuesday at 6am from acast.com.