Big Brother winner Kate Lawler has opened up about her experience of postnatal depression following the birth of her daughter Noa.
Posting to Instagram in honour of World Mental Health day and Post Natal Depression awareness and support (PANDAS) week, the TV and radio personality discussed her own struggles with these issues.
Kate, 42, shared a video showing photos and clips of herself and her daughter, starting with one where she wears a black top with the slogan “It’s ok to feel s***.”
This was then followed by two photos of Kate and her daughter in the first year of her life, with the next clip showing Kate crying and looking distressed.
This is then followed by one of her looking much happier with text reading: “Not feeling suicidal.”
Kate has shared an emotional as she discuses her experiences of post-natal depression
(Image: Instagram/Kate Lawler)
Kate says that early intervention into PND is so important to help mothers who are suffering
(Image: Instagram/Kate Lawler)
Captioning her emotional post, the mum-of-one writes: “#It’s #worldmentalhealthday & the start of @pandas_uk Awareness Week. This year PANDAS are focusing on the importance of their EARLY INTERVENTION service.
“Pandas have a variety of different support services available for us all, run by a trained team of PANDAS volunteers. They offer hope, empathy and support for every parent or network affected by perinatal mental illness.”
Explaining why this is so important, Kate opens up about her own post-natal depression, which she previously revealed had almost led to her wanting to shake her baby.
She writes: “When Noa was born she had two days in intensive care followed by multiple hospital trips in the first three weeks of her life.
Kate wants other parents know that it’s okay to not be perfect, and you can down sometimes
“Breastfeeding became increasingly difficult after this because Noa developed terrible reflux because of all the antibiotics she’d been given.
“The sleep deprivation was torture and the post-natal depression (which naively I never thought would happen to me) crept up and it got to a stage where I felt like it would be best for everyone if I wasn’t here anymore.
Continuing, Kate adds: “I couldn’t be completely honest with those closest to me about how low I was feeling, despite the fact it was pretty obvious and they knew anyway.
“But thanks to early intervention, I was able to get the vital support I needed. Not only did I begin to feel happier but the intrusive thoughts that plagued my mind gradually went away.
Former Big Brother star Kate Lawler pictured with her husband Martin and their daughter, Noa
(Image: Kate Lawler/Instagram)
“It also helped me realise that what I was going through was in fact not so unusual and that I wasn’t alone. The therapy, medication and online support was vital in making me better, and this is because of EARLY INTERVENTION.”
Finishing her post Kate says: “A reminder for parents-to-be or anyone who’s having a bad day: Every day is different and being a Mum or Dad is NOT an easy job and it’s OKAY to not have your shit together all the time.
“Just because you’ve cried, felt anger towards your child or anyone else or feel like you’re in way over your head, YOU’RE STILL DOING A GREAT JOB. Keep going, you’re amazing.”
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