Halle Bailey Tears Up Explaining Why She Kept Her Pregnancy A Secret
Halle Bailey‘s postpartum struggles have come in waves.
The Little Mermaid actress opened up about the mental health challenges she’s faced as a new mom since welcoming her baby boy Halo with boyfriend DDG.
“I have severe, severe postpartum [depression],” she said in a Snapchat video that was reshared by a fan account on Instagram April 16, “and I don’t know if any new moms 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 to kind of freak out.”
Halle noted that her relationship to her body has changed, which is where she said her postpartum depression stems from.
“The only thing that’s been hard for me is feeling normal in my own body,” she explained. “I feel like a completely different person when I look in the mirror. I just feel like I’m in a whole new body, and I don’t know who I am.”
The 24-year-old admitted she wasn’t fully aware of the mental health issues new moms can experience.
“I didn’t realize how serious of a thing it actually was,” she said about postpartum depression. “Now, going through it, it feels like you’re swimming in this ocean that’s, like, the biggest waves you’ve ever felt, and you’re trying not to drown.”
Halle Bailey/Instagram
Despite her experience, Halle made it clear that her love for Halo is unwavering: “It has nothing to do with my baby. It has everything to do with me and who I am right now.”
As for why The Color Purple star decided to share insight into her postpartum journey? She was triggered by social media comments about her family.
“It’s honestly really crazy to me that people would feel the need to say such hurtful things,” Halle revealed. “Normally, I’m OK. I’ll see it—and it will hurt my feelings—but I won’t say anything. I just suck it up, swallow my pride and wish that person well. But today, I couldn’t because it grows something in me to bring awareness to.”
That’s why she reminded her fans to lead with kindness.
“You never know what somebody else is going through,” she added, “especially someone who just had a baby.”
Halle isn’t the only star to get candid about motherhood. Keep reading to see what other celebs have said about their postpartum bodies, breastfeeding journey and more.