The 'Legally Blonde' actress opens up on battling severe postpartum depression after giving birth to her first child Ava and reveals her biggest fear of being a mother.
- Apr 18, 2020
AceShowbiz - Reese Witherspoon battled "severe postpartum depression" after becoming a mum.
The "Big Little Lies" star, 44, shares children Ava, 20, and Deacon, 16, with ex Ryan Phillippe, as well as seven-year-old Tennessee with husband Jim Toth.
Speaking on Jameela Jamil's "I Weigh" podcast, the actress opened up about her battles with mental health over the years, and admitted she first sought therapy at the age of 16.
"I definitely had anxiety, my anxiety manifests as depression so I would get really depressed," she explained. "My brain is like a hamster on a wheel and it won’t come off, I've been managing it my entire life."
Reese said her mental health began to spiral after she welcomed Ava, but confessed that she had a "different experience" after each child.
"One kid I had kind of mild postpartum (depression), and one kid I had severe postpartum where I had to take pretty heavy medication because I just wasn't thinking straight at all," she recalled. "And then I had one kid where I had no postpartum at all."
The "Legally Blonde" star explained how she was "completely out of control" after Ava was born, and said "no one explained" that her response to becoming a mum was quite normal.
"I was 23 years old when I had my first baby and nobody explained to me that when you wean a baby, your hormones go into the toilet," "The Morning Show" actress continued. "I felt more depressed than I'd ever felt in my whole life. It was scary."
Reese has previously admitted she was "scared" to become a mum as she was uncertain she would have a career after giving birth to her first child, and credited a strong "support system" for helping her raise her children.
