Shay Mitchell Candidly Shared How Pregnancy “Took a Toll” on Her Mental Health

"I wasn't that beaming goddess that absolutely loved it."

Shay Mitchell recently opened up about how much she struggled while pregnant with her daughter, Atlas. On Thursday’s episode of the podcast Katie’s Crib, Mitchell revealed the darkness she went through during pregnancy and why it’s left her hesitant to go through it again.

“For the majority of [my pregnancy], I was so blessed and liked a lot of it. But the parts I didn’t like, I’m like ‘Oh man, wow.’ I’m going to be honest and say it. I want [Atlas to have] a sibling so bad, but I don’t want to go through pregnancy again. I wasn’t that beaming goddess that absolutely loved it. I don’t want to do it again because it took a toll on me mentally.”

Mitchell gave birth to daughter Atlas, whom she shares with boyfriend Matte Babel, on October 20th, 2019. Though she’s enjoyed showing off her adorable daughter on Instagram since her birth, the pain from pregnancy has left a lasting mark on the actor.

“I had prepartum, not post, but pre,” Mitchell shared. “That was something I didn’t know back then. I only knew postpartum so I was preparing myself for that. But then when I was upset and not feeling my best during, I was like, ‘Wait what’s this? Nobody talked about this. I should be so happy right now.’ So I’m nervous to go back into it for that again. However, I feel like if I’m home and I can be comfortable and I don’t put the pressure on myself, I’ll be more at ease.”

Mitchell also pointed out that since giving birth, she’s been having these conversations more with fellow mamas and learning that the taboo topics—like depression—need to be discussed so people can learn and heal and grow, and we can’t help but fully agree and wish Mitchell and her family the best.

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