Debina Bonnerjee to Charu Asopa: TV moms who suffered from post-pregnancy depression

While motherhood is the most wonderful time in a woman's life, at times it is often packed with difficulties. However, at times new mothers also suffer from postnatal depression and some TV actresses have also spoken about the challenges of parenthood and post-pregnancy depression. Debina who gave birth to her second child spoke about going through postpartum depression and how its overwhelming for a mother.

A look at how some of the TV actresses revealed the issues they faced after their delivery:

In her recent vlog, Debina spoke about going through postnatal depression. She shared “A lot of people speak about postnatal depression where after having a baby the new moms get into a depressed mood. The overwhelming feeling is like when you see that the baby wakes up in the middle of the night, you get tired and feel it is so difficult. Yes, it is difficult, the child suddenly wakes up fresh in the middle of the night so what would you do? Will you sleep and ignore the kid? I remember Pinu was completely awake in the middle of the night and she started talking. I spoke to her for some time and put her to sleep again. The next morning I am even tired but this is a phase.”

Charu Asopa was delighted when she delivered her baby girl Ziana, but it was the post-pregnancy complications that caused her the most worry, as she told ETimes TV that Ziana was unable to breastfeed for 6 to 7 days. She further added “I couldn’t breastfeed her immediately as I was not getting the milk. I started stressing over it because I was not getting breast milk. People around me were telling me it was fine, it will come in three-four days but in my case it took longer. There was no breast milk for 6-7 days. I was very stressed about it and on the other hand doctors would ask me not to stress.”Charu further said “So during my initial phase after delivery, especially the first month, I was under a lot of anxiety. There are so many hormonal changes in your body, especially during the first few weeks after delivery. Those moments are very isolating, aap ke andar itni saari cheezein Badal rahi hoti hai… it does get difficult to handle things.”

Deepika Singh was one of the actresses who lost a lot of weight just after giving birth. Following her pregnancy, the actress started her fitness quest and returned to her lean form. She told ETimes TV “As soon as I decided to lose weight, I immediately took to doing Yoga, following a certain diet and also joined the gym. Dance is like spiritualism for me and I started to miss it because I could not dance during pregnancy and had a long gap of not performing. Also, I did not take any supplements, apart from my vitamin capsules, for weight loss. Nowadays, new mothers are impatient and want instant weight loss. It's not like that. You need to have patience and work out in the right way. You need to give yourself time. I too started to get back into shape after my baby was seven months old. If I would have wanted to fit into my regular dresses just three months post-pregnancy, it wouldn't have been possible and that would lead to irritation.”

Mandira Bedi was one of the rare actors who openly discussed post-partum depression. Mandira, who had delivered her son Vir, had informed BT about her postpartum depression. She shared “I went through postpartum depression known as the baby blues! One day I just burst into tears and told my husband that I couldn't cope with all this. Oh, that was a tough phase indeed! But then, I had been reading a lot about it, and I knew that it was perfectly normal and a lot of women faced it before me. So, I kept telling myself that it will pass, and now thankfully, it is all behind me."

Chahatt, who has two daughters, opened up to her fans on Instagram about her postpartum depression and how exercise inspired her to get through it. Chahatt wrote “After all the body ace, weakness, weak bones, unable to sit, walk or stand, I finally got myself to the gym after 6 months of postpartum, it’s so difficult how your body changes after childbirth and especially in less gap, it’s difficult to come out of physical, mental, and emotional loop, but a small hope of life can help you when everything seems dull. Postpartum depression isn’t easy, but nothing comes easy in life. Stay fit, stay calm and try to smile a lot. Happiness will eventually follow. To all the moms, you are the creators, be one! Get back to life #mom #momlife #postpartum #postpartumdepression.”

The actress, widely known as Pallavi in Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, discussed her postpartum struggles and how she decided to do a double certificate programme in rational emotive behavior therapy. Shweta stated “Having experienced acute postpartum depression, I no longer view life as casually as I did before. Most tend to use the term ‘depression’ loosely. It is real. It’s a chemical change in our body and not just a low feeling or something that stems from boredom. If left untreated, it has long-drawn consequences. I suffered for five years. While I had my husband actor Manav Gohil and my family’s support during this time, it was difficult for them to understand what I was going through. I wanted to lend a hand and an ear to others with the right tools, hence studying became the next organic step to understanding the disease.”

Chhavi Mittal is an advocate of body positivity. Chhavi has shown all the physical and mental transformations that a mother goes through, from exposing her stretch marks to exposing her postpartum weight reduction struggle. Chhavi wrote “Fitness is my passion. Postpartum weight loss was just a side effect. My body has its good days and bad days, but I love my body the way it is! And why not, it gave me two amazing babies who define my whole world! FYI, today is a good day. #postpartumweightloss”

Addite Malik became a mother in April of this year and immediately began a series entitled 'Motherhood Diaries' after delivery. She talked about her challenges with formula milk feeding, parenthood, weight gain, a variety of emotions, and much more in an attempt to help other mothers. Addite stated “Whenever I feel low or unable to control negative thoughts, I start meditating, praying, listen to some good music or simply look at Ekbir’s face and I feel calm. Every new mom needs to give her body and mind enough time to process all the changes. This was also a reason why I decided to put it all out on my social media handle. Yes, recently when my in-laws were leaving for New Delhi they wanted all of us to step out for lunch. Although I could have dropped Ekbir with my parents, suddenly I felt guilty about leaving him alone and stayed back with him. I think every new mom goes through this.”

Kishwer Merchant, who gave birth to a son on August 27, 2022, opened up about the 'problems' she had during her pregnancy and childbirth. Kishwer discussed her post-natal stress and revealed that a C-section can also be a source of stress after pregnancy. She added “My Bugs Bunny, I know there have been a lot of problems... I haven't been the best, with the C-section, pain killers, tiredness, anxiety and breastfeeding... but like we promised each other today, we both will help each other in this journey and make things better for us, love you my son #sukishkababy.”

Nakuul Mehta's wife, Jankee Parekh, who loves to spend precious moments with her baby boy Sufi, has frequently addressed her challenges as a new mother. Jankee acknowledged having problems while nursing him. She discussed how tough it was for her in the early days of parenthood to learn to breastfeed. She also admitted that the encounter caused her to have doubts about herself. She wrote in the post “My initial 40 days postpartum were such a challenge. There were a lot of self-doubts. Is my body producing enough milk? Why is he still crying? Is it because he is still hungry? His acid reflux didn’t help either.”