Danielle Brooks wants ‘to love this skin that I’m in now’ as she talks postpartum depression

Danielle Brooks shared her experience with postpartum depression after giving birth to daughter Freeya in November 2019.

The 30-year-old Orange Is The New Black actress discussed the pressures of ‘bouncing back’ after having a baby with Parents magazine on Wednesday.

‘I gained a lot of weight during my pregnancy, and I think I did go through postpartum depression. I was trying to stay positive when it felt like my whole world had flipped upside down,’ she said. 

‘Creating a human takes a toll on women’s bodies. Sometimes we don’t give ourselves enough love or patience about that,’ the star added.

The Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia performer also revealed that while she would like to get her pre-baby body back, she’s more focused on feeling confident as she is. 

‘You may think you’re going to bounce back miraculously, but that’s not true for a lot of people. I’m one of them. While I want to return to my pre-baby size, at the same time, I want to love this skin that I’m in now,’ she said.

Danielle admits she would rather be ‘eating well’ and staying healthy instead of losing weight to set a positive example for her daughter, whom she shares with fiancé Dennis Gellin.

‘If I want to continue to live a life full of abundance, I have to plant those seeds now. I bought roller skates and a personal trampoline. 

‘Freeya will jump up and down, imitating me. I find peace by taking walks with Freeya too. I try to incorporate her into things that bring me joy and calmness.

‘And I really like the advice to “talk to yourself as if you are your best friend,”‘ she said.

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Danielle announced her pregnancy with an Instagram ClearBlue ad, but did not reveal Dennis’ name until after Freeya was born.

The pair kicked off 2020 by announcing their engagement on New Year’s Eve, and Brooks says she’s not yet at a place where she’s ready for more kids.   

‘Having a baby really did take a toll on my body and on me mentally. Right now, I’m getting to the part where I’m okay with shedding that old skin and discovering somebody new. Once I feel a bit more whole and not like a machine that is being put back together, then I might consider it,’ she told the outlet.

Danielle has previously opened up about her post-baby weight-loss journey on Instagram, writing in one December post: ‘As someone who coined the phrase #voiceofthecurves I’ve muted my voice for a few months now out of shame.’

‘I felt shameful of gaining weight,’ Brooks, a vocal supporter of the body positivity movement, confessed at the time while sharing a stunning black and white nude portrait of herself. 

‘Even though I brought a whole human into the world, I still felt shameful because I wasn’t able to maintain my normal body weight post-pregnancy. And a year later i have only lost roughly 20lbs of a 60lb weight gain.’ 

She continued: ‘I feel it’s important to share the journey, as a reminder that we are not alone, we ain’t always got it together, and that we are ALL works in progress.

‘It’s okay showing the in between of growth. You ain’t always gotta have it all the way together,’ the star went on before finishing by saying ‘Just speaking from the heart.’

Source: Daily Mail