Maren Morris On Postpartum Depression And Prioritizing Her Mental Health
The singer says her husband, Ryan Hurd, helped her recognize the post-baby blues.
As Maren Morris croons in her hit song, “The house don’t fall when the bones are good.”
In a new interview with People about her upcoming album Humble Quest, the singer said that her husband, fellow country star Ryan Hurd, helped her recognize her own postpartum depression after the birth of their now 2-year-old son, Hayes.
"I do check-ins all the time [with] therapy, which I've done for years, and my husband was a huge help diagnosing that too," the 31-year-old said. The postpartum depression began to ease when Hayes was around 6 months old, Morris said, but she’s thankful her husband allowed her to recognize it.
“Sometimes it's just someone really close to you saying, 'Are you OK?' It's so simple, but it kind of snaps you out of whatever fog you're in that you think is normal, but isn't,” she explained.
Morris has been candid about her experience post-baby, especially in light of the fact that she gave birth at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Her time in quarantine was eye-opening and allowed her to zoom in on her mental health.
"I'm pretty sure everyone in lockdown and this pandemic has had to do a temperature check on their mental health, and maybe it'll become a more perpetual practice going forward because of these two years — I hope it is," she told People. "I just think there's not a stigma as much around talking about it and reaching out for help. It's been such an amazing thing to know that I haven't been alone in this, that other women have all been dealing with the same exact fears and anxieties; even just knowing that if I wake up in the middle of the night with a panic attack, I know that I'm not the only one."
According to CDC research, about 1 in 8 women experience symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD) — and those national estimates differ by age and race/ethnicity. PPD can affect a mother’s ability to take care of her baby, or herself, and is different than post-baby blues, which can cause feelings of stress, sadness, anxiety, loneliness or exhaustion after birth, the American Psychological Association says.
Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, Chrissy Teigen and Serena Williams have all shared their own experiences with PPD.
"You're trying to become a new mother and good parent and do everything right," Morris told CBS This Morning in Sept. 2020 of the drowning feeling that accompanies PPD, "and you just feel like you suck at every level."
"I'm very proud of her,” her husband Hurd told People. “Maren is an incredible mother and partner, and our quiet little life at home has just made it incredibly difficult to leave and go to work. I'm really thankful for our little home bubble."
The bones of this house are good, indeed.
