Celebrities who have shared their motherhood struggles

Being a mom changes a lot of women. Like Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh once said: “The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.”

This new transition can be challenging for most women. One of the women struggling with the adjustments is actress Linda Mtoba. 

Mtoba and her husband, Steven Meyer, welcomed their first child in October 2019. 

Since the birth of their baby girl, Linda has been sharing her journey with her social media followers. 

In a recent tweet, she explained how she loves being a mother. 

“If there’s one thing I love being, it’s being a mom,” she tweeted. 

However, even though her new role is exciting, the mom says she has had to deal with several struggles. 

Like most women, pregnancy and giving birth changed Mtoba's body. 

“I was 5 to tears trying to find a bra size cause my breasts have changed so much and even my size differs depending on the time of day (before feeding or after) and there I was in a maze of bras confused af about which bra would fit me, which bra would give me the best support & be flattering on me,” she wrote. 

As if the bra struggle is not enough, the new mom says she has been struggling with self-acceptance. 

"But It actually goes beyond that, it’s the realization that a year later I’m still in the process of self acceptance. In the process of loving the “new” me and all the changes that come with it. In the process of me, as I try to better myself there’s so much I need to learn to love," she tweeted. 

Another celebrity mom who suffered from postpartum depression and anxiety following the birth of her daughter is model Chrissy Teigen. 

In an interview with Glamour Magazine, Teigen explained how she battled with an overwhelming feeling of sadness after the birth of her daughter, Luna, in 2016

“I couldn’t figure out why I was so unhappy,” she told the publication.

“I blamed it on being tired and possibly growing out of the role: ‘Maybe I’m just not a goofy person anymore. Maybe I’m just supposed to be a mom’.

“It was a sad existence. There were no highs. It was a flatline of life for a few months.

"You hear these horrific stories of people not seeing their child as theirs, or wanting to hurt them, and I never felt that way. That’s why I put off getting it checked as I hated myself, not my child."

Singer and 10-time Grammy winner Adele struggled with depression after the birth of her son, Angelo. 

"...I was obsessed with my child," Adele told Vanity Fair. 

"I felt very inadequate; I felt like I’d made the worst decision of my life... [Postpartum depression] can come in many different forms."

To deal with depression, the mom told the publication that she opened up to her friends and often takes time off to be alone. 

Twenty-three-time singles tennis champion, Serena Williams, gave birth to her first child on 1 September 2017. 

In an interview with Vogue in 2018, Williams spoke about the mixed feelings she experienced after having a baby. 

“Sometimes I get really down and feel like, Man, I can’t do this. It’s that same negative attitude I have on the court sometimes. I guess that’s just who I am. No one talks about the low moments ― the pressure you feel, the incredible letdown every time you hear the baby cry. I’ve broken down I don’t know how many times. Or I’ll get angry about the crying, then sad about being angry, and then guilty, like, Why do I feel so sad when I have a beautiful baby? The emotions are insane,” she said in the interview. 

Main image courtesy of Instagram/@Adele