Adele opens up about her battle with post-natal depression
Women urged to talk to fellow mothers to help guard against the baby blues
In a new interview, Adele has opened up about her struggle with post-natal depression after the birth of her son Angelo
Adele has talked openly about her struggle with post-natal depression following the birth of her son Angelo. The singer said there were moments when she believed she had made the 'worst decision' of her life in having him and felt 'very inadequate.'
'My knowledge of postpartum-or post-natal [depression], as we call it in England, is that you don't want to be with your child; you're worried you might hurt your child; you're worried you weren't doing a good job,' the singer told Vanity Fair.
'But I was obsessed with my child. I felt very inadequate; I felt like I'd made the worst decision of my life . . . . It can come in many different forms.
'Eventually I just said, I'm going to give myself an afternoon a week, just to do whatever the f*** I want without my baby. A friend of mine said, "Really? Don't you feel bad?" I said, "I do, but not as bad as I'd feel if I didn't do it".'
She also admitted she felt pressurised into having a baby.
'I think it's the bravest thing not to have a child; all my friends and I felt pressurised into having kids, because that's what adults do.
'I love my son more than anything, but on a daily basis, if I have a minute or two, I wish I could do whatever the f*** I wanted, whenever I want. Every single day I feel like that.'
Adele also said the post-natal depression scared her so much she is 'too frightened' to have another baby with boyfriend Simon Konecki, who also has a daughter from a previous relationship.
Though she says she did not take anti-depressants, Adele told the magazine that talking to someone about how she felt made a huge difference.
It's estimated that one in ten mothers suffer from post-natal depression, as well as one in 25 new fathers. The cost of post-natal illness in the UK is estimated at £8.1bn per year, or almost £10,000 per birth. Symptoms of post-natal depression can include anxiety, lack of energy, loss of sleeping and feeling you're unable to bond with your baby.
For more information or advice on coping with post-natal depression, visit the NHS website here.
