Jennifer Lawrence didn’t talk about motherhood the way it’s portrayed on greeting cards.
“There’s nothing like the postpartum period. It’s extremely isolating. You feel like an alien”, said the actress, recalling one of the loneliest stages of her life. And she went further: she described that moment when you look at your newborn, that perfect creature, and your mind whispers: “What if I’m bad for you?”.
It’s a doubt many mothers keep to themselves for fear of being judged. And the numbers bear this out: in the United States, one in eight women reports symptoms of postpartum depression. Even so, many never receive a diagnosis or get treatment, although the condition can affect both their emotional well-being and their bond with their children.
Talking doesn’t fix everything. But every mother who hears someone like Jennifer say out loud what she felt alone discovers something she needed to know: she’s not the only one.