Canadian influencer opens up about postpartum depression: 'I hate that it feels embarrassing to admit this'
The Alberta-based mother of two said it took "almost a year" to recognize she was suffering from postpartum depression.
Canadian influencer Rini Frey is opening up about living with postpartum depression. On Wednesday, the Alberta-based mother of two took to Instagram to discuss some of her mental health struggles since giving birth to her second child, Olivia. In a lengthy Instagram post, Frey shared a follower’s comment that said they could tell Frey was in a “very negative head space” based on her content.
“She’s right,” Frey said adding that it’s taken “a while to come to terms” with her postpartum depression out of fear that people would judge her or think she’s “ungrateful.” In a series of slides and text-on-screen, Frey said that she went on medication because her “thoughts had gone too dark.”
Frey, who has been candid about previous eating disorder struggles, said her mental health has impacted her ability to eat “proper meals” and she goes through periods of having no appetite or binging. She added that her “intrusive thoughts and anxiety are through the roof some days.”
“The pressure to bounce back mentally and physically after giving birth is so intense,” she continued. “I find it hard not to compare and feel like I should be in a better place by now. But the truth is, I’m not.”
Frey added that her children and her husband, Shaun, are her “whole entire world” and that she wants to “get better for them.”
“I want to let go of the thought that this is somehow my fault,” she wrote. “I constantly have to tell myself: My body just doesn’t do well with pregnancy and postpartum hormones. This is not my fault. Do I believe it? No. Not yet. But I’m working on it.”
In the caption of the post Frey elaborated on her journey towards accepting that she was struggling.
“It took me almost a year to realize that I have been going through PPD. And I hate that it feels embarrassing to admit this, to put a label on it. It feels like somehow I have failed at bouncing back after giving birth.”
The post earned supportive messages from followers who praised Frey for her honesty.
“This is life-saving sharing, friend,” a follower wrote. “I wish I heard this struggle reflected by someone I cared for when I was going through it postpartum. You deserve all the support and care.”
“It can take a while to realize because the first year is just so overwhelming,” another wrote. “It’s hard to figure out what’s not normal. Sending you love and hope you feel better soon. So many of us have been there.”
“I appreciate your sharing and your honesty so much. It’s really vulnerable to be so honest in this judgemental space,” someone wrote. “We can simultaneously love our children and our family more than anything in the whole world and yet still be struggling in this very specific chapter of life. What our bodies, our minds and our hormones go through is truly insane…”
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