10 inspiring celebrities who overcame postpartum depression

10 Celebrities who overcame postpartum depression

Despite living their lives in the spotlight, these stunning celebrity mums have been through some dark days.

But they survived, proving that no trial is insurmountable with determination and a whole lot of love.

Brooke Shields

Her struggles with postpartum depression began when her daughter Rowan was born.

She talks about her battle and her triumph in her book, 'Down Came the Rain: My Journey with Postpartum Depression'.

One of the things that helped her was breastfeeding. She told WebMD, "I attribute a lot to breastfeeding, because, for me, the physical connection is what I really needed, whether I enjoyed it or not. Somewhere along the line it was undeniable that she was stuck to me. I think that was important to my recovery."

Bryce Dallas Howard

Since the birth of her son Theodore in 2007, the actress has been open about her struggles with Postpartum depression.

"Postpartum depression is hard to describe—the way the body and mind and spirit fracture and crumble in the wake of what most believe should be a celebratory time," she wrote in an article on goop.com.

A physician and a therapist helped her for about 18 months to get through the darkest of times.

Gwyneth Paltrow

After giving birth to her son Moses in 2006, she just couldn't connect to him. "It was terrible. It was the exact opposite of what had happened when Apple was born," she told PEOPLE.

The Oscar winning actress describe herself as a "zombie" who couldn't "access her heart" and she felt like a terrible person.

She hasn't revealed exactly how she overcame PPD but she did so two years after giving birth to her son.

Hayden Panettiere

"It is one of the most debilitating, scary, guilty feelings that you can ever feel," says the actress of PPD.

In her case, it didn't happen immediately after her daughter was born.

After a few months in rehab, she managed to bounce back and overcome her condition.

Emily Maynard Johnson

The former star of the hit reality series 'The Bachelorette' had to go through PPD at the tender age of 19, when she gave birth to her daughter Ricki.

"The first couple of years were hard," she recalls to People. "At the time, I didn't know it was postpartum depression. I had never heard of that."

She eventually surpassed this dark time in her life and found love again.

She gave birth to her second child with Tyler Jennings in 2015.

Amanda Peet

"I want to be honest about it because I think there's still so much shame when you have mixed feelings about being a mum instead of feeling this sort of 'bliss,'" Amanda (who suffered PPD after the birth of her daughter) told Gotham magazine.

She adds, "I think a lot of people still really struggle with that, but it's hard to find other people who are willing to talk about it."

She shares that she coped with her condition with the help of anti-depression medication.

Kendra Wilkinson

The former Playboy bunny-turned-reality TV star says she suffered from PPD after the birth of her two children, Hank IV and Alijah.

But her daughter inspired her to keep going.

"I questioned my life," she revealed on her reality show, Kendra. "If it wasn't for Alijah, the bond I had with her, I feel like I would have probably ended my life."

Lisa Rinna

Hers is probably one of the most severe cases of PPD, a battle which she describes as "soul crushing". And she had to go through it twice: after the birth of both her kids.

The TV host hit rockbottom when she had "visions of killing everybody" but she sought help and overcame it.

She shared her experience in her book 'Rinnavation: Getting Your Best Life Ever' hoping to inspire other mums to keep fighting to get through seemingly impossible situations.

Vanessa Minnillo-Lachey

Her battle with PPD began after she gave birth to her first baby.

"I started crying. I was feeding Camden and crying my eyes out. I felt like I had officially come undone," the model and TV host wrote in her blog. "I imagined blissful days, tired nights, but quiet loving moments. But this was none of that."

She overcame PPD with the support of her loving husband, singer Nick Lachey, who "allowed her to be imperfect".

Courtney Cox

Her battle with PPD only began six months after her daughter, Coco, was born.

Aside from plunging into depression, she also had trouble sleeping because of her racing heartbeat.

"Her doctors told her that her "hormones had been pummelled."

She eventually came out victorious with the help of progesterone and good friends: Brooke Shields and Jennifer Aniston.

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Written by

Bianchi Mendoza

Postpartum CaredepressionPOSTNATAL DEPRESSIONpostpartum depressionmental health