"It almost feels like you're swimming in this ocean that's, like, the biggest waves you've ever felt, and you're trying not to drown, and you're trying to come up for air," says 'The Little Mermaid' actress, who welcomed son Halo in December.
Halle Bailey is opening up about her struggles with postpartum depression.
In a recent Snapchat video, which was shared by the Instagram account @officialblck, the actress -- who welcomed her son Halo with boyfriend DDG in December -- detailed how her life as a new mom has impacted her mental health.
DDG Says Halle Bailey Pregnancy 'Kinda Just Happened'
View Story"I just wanted to speak a little bit about my postpartum journey as a new mom, and now trying to work while still being severely postpartum," Halle began.
"So, honestly, I have severe, severe postpartum," she continued. "I don't know if any new moms can relate, but it's to the point where it's really bad. It's hard for me to be separated from my baby for more than 30 minutes at a time before I start to kind of freak out."
The Little Mermaid star said DDG, whom she called "Mumu," is "the most amazing daddy in the world," saying that he's "so present" and she "couldn't ask for a better person to have a baby with."
While Halle described her son as a "miracle," she said that she's really struggling with her postpartum depression, sharing that there are moments she feels that she's "drowning."
"Everything about Halo is he's a miracle," she explained. "He's perfect, he's beautiful. When I look at him, I cry because of how special he is. The only thing that's been hard for me is feeling normal in my own body."
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"I feel like a completely different person. When I look in the mirror, I just feel like I'm in a whole new body, like, I don't know who I am," she continued, adding that there's a "stigma" surrounding postpartum depression. "Before I had a child and I would hear people talk about postpartum, it would kind of just go in one ear and out the other. I didn't realize how serious of a thing it actually was."
The 24-year-old said, "Now going through it, I feel like ... it almost feels like you're swimming in this ocean that's like the biggest waves you've ever felt, and you're trying not to drown, and you're trying to come up for air. And you have those moments where you come up for air, and they feel like the most beautiful things, and it's great. And then you have those moments where you're drowning again. And it has nothing to do with my baby. It has everything to do with me and who I am right now."
Halle went on to share that she felt the need to open up about her struggles after she felt "triggered" following comments about her family she saw online.
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"I guess today I was just triggered, especially social media is just not a good thing to be on when you have postpartum, but I was just really triggered today, especially by seeing some of the things that have been said about me and my family, and the one that I love and the ones that I love," she said. "It's just, it's honestly, it's really, really crazy to me that people would feel the need to say such hurtful things."
"And normally I'm okay," she added. "Like, normally, I'll see it and it will hurt my feelings, but I won't say anything. I'm normally good with not saying anything. I just suck it up, swallow my pride, and just wish that person well. Whoever said something horrible about me and my family, I just wish them well."
Halle concluded, "But today I couldn't because it grows something in me to bring awareness to. Even though you may look up to certain people and you think that they're celebrity, and they appear to have it all together, you never know what somebody is going through. Especially someone who just had a baby, literally."
Halle and DDG (real name Darryl Dwayne Granberry Jr.) welcomed son Halo in December, with the couple announcing the news on January on Instagram. The pair has been together since 2022.