Gwyneth Paltrow has opened up about her experience with postnatal depression, saying she was in "a dark place" following the birth of her son Moses in 2006. The 45-year-old spoke candidly about the illness during a Goop podcast episode in which she chatted with her mother, Blythe Danner.
"I was so euphoric when Apple was born, and I assumed it would happen with Mosey and it just … it took a while. I really went into a dark place," Gwyneth said, adding that it was her ex-husband Chris Martin who pointed out a change in her following the birth of their son.
© Photo: Getty ImagesGwyneth Paltrow spoke candidly about her postnatal depression
It isn't the first time Gwyneth has spoken about her experiences, saying she felt "like a zombie" after welcoming her son, and it was completely at odds to how she felt following the birth of daughter Apple in 2005. "I just didn't know what was wrong with me. I couldn't figure it out. It never occurred to me," the actress said during an episode of Lifetime's The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet in 2016. "My husband actually said, 'Something's wrong. I think you have postnatal depression.' I was mortified. 'No I don't!' And then I started researching what it was and the symptoms and I was like, 'Oh, yes I do.'"
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Postnatal depression affects more than one in ten women within a year of giving birth, according to NHS, with symptoms including a persistent feeling of sadness and low mood, lack of energy, and difficulty bonding with your baby. Treatment can include self-help (such as talking to family and friends, exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet). Psychological therapy and antidepressants may also be recommended by your GP.
© Photo: InstagramGwyneth has two children with ex-husband Chris Martin
Gwyneth is not the only celebrity to share their experience with postnatal depression; in March 2017 Chrissy Teigen shared an open letter about her struggle, saying she was unable to eat for days or leave the comfort of her couch. "What basically everyone around me - but me - knew up until December was this: I have postpartum depression," she wrote in Glamour.
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Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump said she suffered postnatal depression after the birth of each of her three children. "With each of my three children I had some level of postpartum depression. It was a very challenging, emotional time for me because I felt like I was not living up to my potential as a parent or as an entrepreneur and executive," she said during an appearance on The Dr Oz. Show. "I had had such easy pregnancies that in some way, the juxtaposition hit me even harder."
