Famous women who suffered from postpartum depression

Motherhood is nearly always synonymous with happiness for women. However, some have to deal with a great "enemy:" postpartum depression, a psychological blow after giving birth. Famous women have not been spared from going down this hard road. Among them is Gwyneth Paltrow. She experienced postpartum depression after the birth of her second child, Moses.

"I felt like a zombie," she told Good Housekeeping. "I couldn't get into my heart or my emotions. I couldn't connect. It was terrible, the exact opposite of when my daughter Apple was born. I had been in heaven with her and I couldn't believe it wasn't the same when Moses was born. I just thought it meant I was a terrible mother and a bad person."

Alanis Morissette shares this experience. "I went through a very intense postpartum depression after Ever was born. I woke up every morning with a choking feeling and like I was being buried alive and didn't want to live anymore," she said on a special program on OWN TV.

To get by, the singer opted for various medical therapies. She recalls that sometimes she felt so weak she could hardly move.

After giving birth to her first daughter, Rowan, Brooke Shields experienced postpartum depression. "I had no desire to even pretend to be interested in her, and I was terrified of feeling that," the actress explained in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

To stay afloat, Brooke had to take medication and go to therapy. She also wrote a book, called 'Down Came The Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression.' In the end, she says, "I fought and I survived."

When she became a mom, Bryce Dallas Howard said it gave her a kind of emotional amnesia: She couldn't cry, laugh, or be moved. She tried to pretend everything was okay, but one day she couldn't take it anymore. She was standing in the shower when all of a sudden she began crying heartbrokenly.

The star of 'Jurassic World' was able to get better through a treatment recommended by her midwife. In addition, she had the support of her doctor and friends and she read Brooke Shields's book.

Courteney Cox didn't know she had postpartum depression until her daughter Coco was six months old. That's when the problems started. "I couldn't sleep. My heart was racing and I got really depressed. I went to the doctor and realized that my hormones were bad."

People Magazine reports that Cox's doctors prescribed progesterone. In addition, she relied on her friends Jennifer Aniston and Brooke Shields to get through this tough time.

When Hayden Panettiere, star of the series 'Nashville,' gave birth to her daughter Kaya, she suffered from postpartum depression. "I think there are a lot of people who think it's not real, that it's not true and that it's something you create in your mind," she said in the show 'Live! with Kelly and Michael.' "But it's completely uncontrollable and really painful and scary, and women need a lot of support," she added.

In her case, Hayden sought treatment to feel better and walked away from the set to reflect on her health and life. And, fortunately, she was able to come out of this difficult time.

After giving birth to her son Angelo, Adele was reluctant to talk to anyone about her symptoms of postpartum depression. "I was obsessed with my baby. I felt inadequate, I felt I had made the worst decision of my life," the British singer told Vanity Fair.

Adele did not take antidepressants but took different measures. "Four of my friends felt the same way I did, and we were all embarrassed to talk about it. Eventually, I said, 'F*** it! I'm going to give myself one afternoon a week to just do whatever I want, without my baby... Spending time on your own makes you a better mother."

Drew Barrymore revealed she suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter Frankie. With her first child, Olive, this had not happened. "The second time, I understood what people were talking about. It was different with the second one. I really felt bad," the actress explained to People Magazine.

Like other celebrities, Drew Barrymore sought professional help and managed to get through that tough time. Now she enjoys his children to the fullest.

Sarah Michelle Gellar experienced postpartum depression when her daughter Charlotte was born. "Having children is wonderful and life-changing, but you're rarely ready for it," she says. "I love my children more than anything else in the world, but like many women I too have experienced postpartum depression."

Fortunately, Sarah managed to pull through. "I got help and got through it, and every day since then has been the best gift I could have asked for," the actress wrote in her Instagram account.

Tennis player Serena Williams also suffered from postpartum depression after having her daughter Alexis Olympia. She recalls it was a very difficult period because she felt she was not a good mother.
"Honestly, sometimes I still think I have to deal with it. I think people need to talk about it more, because it's almost like a fourth trimester, it's part of the pregnancy," she said in an interview with Harper's Bazaar UK.

On her Instagram account, Serena shared what she did to make herself feel better. "I read several articles that said postpartum emotions can last up to three years if left untreated. I prefer better communication," she told her followers. "Talking things over with my mother, sisters, and friends let me know that my feelings are totally normal. It's totally normal to feel that I'm not doing enough for my baby."

Behati Prinsloo, model for Victoria's Secret, had problems when her son Dusty Rose was born. "I had postpartum moments after our first baby, I felt very bad. But my husband was incredibly supportive and helped me get through it," she told Today. Prinsloo's husband is Maroon 5 singer and The Voice judge Adam Levine.

"I feel that it is very normal for a young, first-time mom to feel lost and extremely emotional," Prinsloo says. "I think I was lucky that I didn't have it in an extreme case, but you can see yourself spiraling down."