Halle Bailey reveals she has ‘severe’ postpartum depression

Halle Bailey has revealed that she has “severe” postpartum depression after the birth of her son.

The 24-year-old actor recently shared a video on Snapchat, which has been reposted on Instagram, about her struggles with the condition. In 2023, Bailey gave birth to her first child, a son named Halo, who she shares with rapper DDG.

In the video, she first acknowledged how she wanted to “speak a little” about her “postpartum journey” as a parent who’s still “trying to work” shortly after welcoming her child.

“I have severe, severe postpartum,” she said. “And I don’t know if any new moms can relate, but it’s to the point where it’s really bad, and it’s hard for me to be separated from my baby for more than 30 minutes at a time before I start to kind of freak out.”

The Little Mermaid star went on to acknowledge that her boyfriend is the “most amazing” father to their baby and praised him for supporting her. While she also gushed over how happy her son makes her, she still confessed how being a mother has been challenging.

“And I couldn’t have asked for a better person to have a baby with because of how present he is and how much he wants to be in his life, and how supportive he is of me and my ventures,” she shared about her partner. “Everything about Halo is a miracle. He’s perfect, he’s beautiful. When I look at him, I cry because of how special he is. The only thing that’s been hard for me is feeling normal in my own body.”

She then admitted that she’s felt like a “completely different person” since having her baby, adding that when she “looks in the mirror,” she “doesn’t know” who she is.

Bailey also noted that before having a child, she “would hear people talk about postpartum,” and it “would kind of just go in one ear and out the other”. She further acknowledged the new perspective she has about postpartum depression after having a baby, as she’s experienced it herself.

“I didn’t realise how serious of a thing it actually was,” she said. “It almost feels like you’re swimming in this ocean that’s like the biggest waves you’ve ever felt, and you’re trying not to drown, and you’re trying to come up for air. And you have those moments when you come up for air and they feel like the most beautiful things.”

She then specified that her feelings “have nothing to do” with her baby, and “everything to do with” her. Bailey also revealed that her emotions at the time were triggered by something she’d seen online.

“I guess today I was just triggered - especially [since] social media is just not a good thing to be on when you have postpartum - but I was just really triggered today,” she explained. “Especially by seeing some of the things that have been said about me and my family, and the one that I love and the ones that I love.”

The grown-ish alum went on to acknowledge that it’s “so crazy” to her that people would say “such hurtful things” about her loved ones. She then added how this criticism got to her, even though she’s tried to ignored the hate throughout her time in the public eye.

“I’m normally good with not saying anything. I just suck it up, swallow my pride and just wish that person well, whoever said something horrible about me and my family,” she said. “I just wish them well. But today I couldn’t because it grows something in me to bring awareness to [postpartum].”

Bailey concluded her video by sending a message to her followers, reminding them to be mindful of what they say about celebrities on the internet.

“Even though you may look up to certain people and you think that they are celebrities, and they appear it have it all together, you never know what somebody else is going through, especially someone who just had a baby literally,” she said.

While postpartum depression is different for everyone, some common symptoms include depressed mood or severe mood swings, inability to sleep, severe anxiety, or overwhelming tiredness or loss of energy, as noted by Mayo Clinic.

Bailey’s video about her postpartum journey isn’t her first time hitting back at online critics. In 2023, she frequently dodged speculation about whether she was pregnant after consistently wearing loose-fitting clothing. However, on one occasion, she responded to a comment made about her having a “pregnancy nose”.

“Listen, if I see one more person say something about my nose one more time, it’s going to be hell to pay,” she said in her response. “You know why? Because I’m Black. I love my nose,” she continued. “What are you concerned about my nose for? Leave me the hell alone.”

In December 2023, The Color Purple star took to her Instagram Story to write a message about both the upsides and the downsides of being a celebrity.

“I’m so very grateful for my real supporters who are respectful of women’s bodies and loving,” she said. “Being under a microscope is not easy but for the real ones who show unconditional love religiously, I appreciate you. I feel so blessed and grateful.”