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Chrissy Teigen may be famous for her candor and no-holds-barred social media persona, but she had been keeping a secret from fans and friends alike: She was suffering from postpartum depression.
The lively star – who welcomed daughter Luna Simone last April – described her pain in detail to Glamour, writing how her lower back, shoulders and even wrists hurt so badly that she couldn’t get out of bed most days.
“I would go two days without a bite of food, and you know how big of a deal food is for me,” shared the author of bestselling cookbook “Cravings.”
She recalls snapping at people for no reason, and being so resigned to the couch that she kept comfortable clothes and robes in a downstairs pantry. Chrissy also wrote that she was crying. A lot.
The supermodel tried going to the doctor to figure out the root of her pain, but since it was all stemming from mental health issues – that she was not aware of at the time – no one could figure it out. “I felt like I was in an episode of ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’” she said.
It’s an important issue to discuss, because when it comes to mental illness so many people do feel like they have to suffer in silence because of the stigma. Even Chrissy shared that despite her diagnosis – postpartum depression and anxiety – she tends to refer to it as just “postpartum,” since the word “depression scares a lot of people.”
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model said she felt “silly” speaking up about her postpartum depression, because she has “all the help” she could need, with husband John Legend, her mother (who lives with her) and a nanny to help take care of daughter Luna.
And she got a bit political as she talked about how important access to medical care has been to her recovery. “I can’t imagine not being able to go to the doctors that I need. It’s hurtful to me to know that we have a president who wants to rip healthcare away from women,” she said, of the Trump administration’s ongoing battle to repeal and replace Obamacare.
“I look around every day and I don’t know how people do it. I’ve never had more respect for mothers, especially mothers with postpartum depression,” Chrissy wrote.
Aside from her glamorous shoots and delicious recipes, Chrissy is beloved for how open and relatable she is, despite being a supermodel with a famed Grammy winner for a husband. She tweets about binge-watching TV and shares photos of her stretch marks.
So it’s no surprise to see Chrissy choosing to share such a painful journey with her fans, via this open letter. “I’m speaking up now because I want people to know it can happen to anybody and I don’t want people who have it to feel embarrassed or to feel alone,” she wrote.
Stars such as Brooke Shields, Hayden Panettiere and Bryce Dallas Howard have all spoken out about their experiences with postpartum depression before.
And hopefully with Chrissy’s heartfelt letter, that important discussion can continue.
