A discussion about the royal baby wait on “Strahan And Sara” sparked an honest conversation about postpartum depression between Sara Haines and Paula Faris. The co-hosts, who are both moms, revealed they’ve struggled with PPD in the past- unable to understand their unexpected feelings post pregnancy.
"The dialogue around moms is always, 'this is a blessing,' which it is, and, 'you're so lucky: this is going to be the happiest day of your life,'" Haines said. "When it doesn't show up that way, it can be disarming."
"It was hard for me to identify what it really was because I didn't experience it before with my previous two" children, Faris added.
Haines went on to describe how she dealt with the emotional toll of postpartum depression (PPD), and explained why she believes the internal struggle that many moms face is difficult to acknowledge.
"It's hard to admit because it's the antithesis of what we've been raised to think what women are, which is, 'They've been doing it for a thousand years, it'll kick in, you'll have maternal instinct.' None of which I had. When that all happens, you're almost scared to ask for help," Haines said.
About one in every 9 women suffer from postpartum depression in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Symptoms of PPD may include depressed mood, difficulty bonding with your baby, intense anger or anxiety, fear that you’re not a good mother and thoughts of harming yourself or the baby, among other things.
Faris encouraged other women to be vocal about their experience with PPD.
(MORE: Major medical organization urges doctors to increase depression screening for pregnant women and new moms)"We need to tell people to give them the permission that it's okay to have those feelings. Every baby comes in a different shape and size -- so do the emotions. It’s going to affect each one of us so differently,” Faris said.
"The more we remove the taboo, I think it's better to expect that it’s going to be tough and dark and scary, because if it turns out to be the most blissful part of your life, you didn't need a warning," Haines added.
Haines is currently pregnant with her third child. The baby is expected in early June.
