Chrissy Teigen Admits That She's Worried About Experiencing Postpartum Depression Again
Chrissy Teigen is getting real about her battle with postpartum depression — and the possibility of experiencing it again after she gives birth to her son.
The 32-year-old model — who is currently expecting her second child with husband John Legend — sat down with friend and hairstylist Jen Atkin at the Create & Cultivate conference in Los Angeles on Saturday, where she opened up about the fear that the condition will return.
“Do I worry about it with this little boy? I do,” she revealed. “But I also know that when it does happen — if it does — I’m so ready for it. I have the perfect people around me for it. That’s why I stand for a real core group of people around me.”
Teigen has spoken openly about coping with postpartum depression after giving birth to daughter Luna, now 22 months. At the talk, she compared PPD to “coming down from any drug” after having a rush of endorphins while undergoing IVF.
“I had just had Luna. I knew I had an incredible life and husband and family and all the resources necessary. I knew that I was personally unhappy, but I didn’t think that anything was wrong with it because I just assumed that that’s the way it goes. You have a kid, you’re sad, you lose those endorphins and that’s the way it is,” she shared.
“I do wish that more people had spoken up around me. I encourage anyone who sees something around them to point it out. It took me to finally sit myself down because I think it’s hard for people to point something out.”
The Lip Sync Battle host also said having her husband and family around helped her overcome it.
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Teigen gave credit to those who have experienced postpartum depression without the luxuries she has — including the ability to make her own schedule.
“I cannot explain how much I look up to people that are still trying to grow into what they want to be,” she explained. “I’m older now, I’ve been through the dues of it all. But I don’t know how I would have handled it if I were still paying the dues and having to answer to certain people. I think I would have been too weak, honestly. I don’t know how you guys do it every single day.”
After her initial diagnosis, Teigen was hesitant to open up about her secret. However, she wanted to help others dealing with the same thing.
“Postpartum does not discriminate. I couldn’t control it. And that’s part of the reason it took me so long to speak up: I felt selfish, icky, and weird saying aloud that I’m struggling. Sometimes I still do,” she wrote in an essay for Glamour‘s April cover story.
“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 said. “I also don’t want to pretend like I know everything about postpartum depression, because it can be different for everybody. But one thing I do know is that — for me — just merely being open about it helps.”