Photo: 1840
Shay Mitchellis opening up about her journey to motherhood.
On Thursday’s season finale of the third season ofKatie’s Crib—Shondaland’s first podcastin partnership withiHeartRadiothat featuresKatie Lowesand a guest having a frank and intimate conversation about the joys, pains and hilarity of new motherhood — thePretty Little Liarsalum, 33, got candid about her struggle with prenatal depression, how she worked through the tough times and whether or not she plans to have more children.
“For the majority of [my pregnancy], I was so blessed and liked a lot of it,” Mitchell, who shares 1-year-old daughter Atlas Noa with boyfriendMatte Babel, told Lowes. “But the parts I didn’t like, I’m like ‘Oh man, wow.’ "
She adds, “I’m going to be honest and say it. I want [Atlas to have] a sibling so bad, but I don’t want to go through pregnancy again. I wasn’t that beaming goddess that absolutely loved it. I don’t want to do it again because it took a toll on me mentally.”
Katie’s Crib.Shondaland Audio
“I had prepartum, not post, but pre,” she continues. “That was something I didn’t know back then. I only knew postpartum so I was preparing myself for that. But then when I was upset and not feeling my best during, I was like, ‘Wait what’s this? Nobody talked about this. I should be so happy right now.’ So I’m nervous to go back into it for that again. However, I feel like if I’m home and I can be comfortable and I don’t put the pressure on myself, I’ll be more at ease.”
“I have to say, my first and second pregnancies were completely different,” says Lowes, who shares sonAlbee, 3, and daughter, Vera, 3 months, with husbandAdam Shapiro. “I wasn’t sick a day with Albee, and I’ve never been so sick in my life with my daughter. It was a very different experience. You will prepare yourself. Maybe you should get pregnant tomorrow…”
Shay Mitchell / Katie Lowes.Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images; Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
“We need to talk again next season … I’m going to put money on it that you will have a second child then,” Lowes later says.
“I’ll probably put money on it too,” Mitchell agrees.
In October 2019, Mitchell opened up tomaternity lifestyle brand HATCHabout her pregnancy struggles and previous miscarriage.
“Ipreviously had a miscarriageand that experience gave me anxiety about sharing the news of this pregnancy with anyone outside of our parents,” Mitchell admitted. “With the first pregnancy, I was elated and told everyone at eight weeks. However, I wanted to be sure that this second pregnancy would be viable before shouting it from the rooftops, so I hid it for nearly six months and became very antisocial.”
“Usually, I’m incredibly active and outgoing, but instead, I mainly stayed home to avoid stares and questions. I was extremely lonely,” Mitchell said.
Shay Mitchell.Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage
As Mitchell revealed that she suffered from “prepartum depression,” she expressed her curiosity on why it remains a topic that is rarely discussed.
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“As long as I can remember, I’ve heard aboutpostpartum depression. However, to bedepressed at the beginning came as ashock,” she said. “The isolation and anxiety I experienced was crippling. I thought I was going out of my mind and questioned why nobody ever talked to me about this phase.”
source: people.com
