Halle Bailey Details Battle With Postpartum Depression

After giving birth to her first child, Halle Bailey shared via social media her experience and struggles with postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is defined by the Office on Women’s Health as “a serious mental health condition that involves the brain and affects your behavior and physical health. If you have depression, then sad and hopeless feelings don’t go away and can interfere with your day-to-day life. You might not feel connected to your baby, as if you are not the baby’s mother, or you might not love or care for the baby.”

These feelings can range mild to severe. Even though Bailey gave birth towards the end of 2023, she is still experiencing feelings of depression. Bailey uses her platform to ask people to be kind to her as she navigates being a mother. Additionally, in coming forward, she normalizes feelings of depression after pregnancy.

In her social media post, Bailey describes postpartum depression as a feeling of drowning. “You have those moments where you come up for air and they’re like the most beautiful things and it’s great. Then you have those moments where you’re drowning in it,” Bailey said. “It has nothing to do with my baby. It has everything to do with me and who I am right now.”

Bailey’s biggest takeaway in her post is to be kind to mothers. People can act like everything is okay, but in reality we never know how someone is truly doing. As humans, it is important for us to give grace to all people, especially mothers. Offer support through being kind, providing resources and, most importantly, asking what new mothers need.

Bailey is most certainly not the first person to speak about her experience with postpartum depression. Yet, in doing so, she provides room for more mothers to come forward and feel safe to ask for help. If you’re a mother and you find yourself feeling like you are drowning, Psychology Today is a wonderful resource when it comes to taking the first steps towards receiving professional help. The website allows you to select a mental health professional by state, zip code, insurance, race, gender and specialty.

Rely on your village, and trust that with time and the proper resources, you will get back to yourself. Your concept of self will look different after giving birth, but you have the ability to find your new normal. Motherhood isn’t easy, and everyone’s experience with it is different. Like the women that came before you, you too will find your routine and learn to be an amazing mother to your child.