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Tag: Serena Williams

  • Serena Williams Gets Candid About "Postpartum Emotions"

    Serena Williams Gets Candid About "Postpartum Emotions"

    By being open about her issues, the tennis star is bringing awareness to postpartum depression that she says is needed.

    Tennis champ and new mom, Serena Williams, is shedding the shame of struggling with “postpartum emotions.”

    The 23-time Grand Slam champion is in the midst of a rocky comeback after giving birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr last September.

    In July, Williams lost the chance to win her 24th Grand Slam title after ending this year’s Wimbledon tournament as runner-up. And she pulled out of the Rogers Cup in Canada (August 4-12) citing “personal reasons.”

    But in a Monday Instagram post, the tennis star shared that she was struggling with postpartum depression (or PPD).

    “Last week was not easy for me. Not only was I accepting some tough personal stuff, but I just was in a funk. Mostly, I felt like I was not a good mom,” Williams wrote in the caption.

    “I read several articles that said postpartum emotions can last up to 3 years if not dealt with. I like communication best. Talking things through with my mom, my sisters, my friends let me know that my feelings are totally normal.”

    PPD is a type of depression that occurs in women after giving birth. According to one study, postpartum depression affects about 1 in 7 women.

    “It’s totally normal to feel like I’m not doing enough for my baby,” Williams continued on Instagram. “We have all been there. I work a lot, I train, and I’m trying to be the best athlete I can be.

    “However, that means although I have been with her every day of her life, I’m not around as much as I would like to be. Most of you moms deal with the same thing. Whether stay-at-home or working, finding that balance with kids is a true art. You are the true heroes.

    “I’m here to say: If you are having a rough day or week—it’s ok—I am too! There’s always [tomorrow]!”

    Williams has been candid about the challenges of being a new mom. Many of the commenters on her Instagram post are fellow moms who can relate.

    By talking through her issues, the tennis star is bringing awareness to postpartum depression that she says is needed. In a June interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK, she said, “I think people need to talk about it more because it’s almost like the fourth trimester, it’s part of the pregnancy.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Serena Williams Discusses Postpartum Depression

    Serena Williams Discusses Postpartum Depression

    “I think people need to talk about it more because it’s almost like the fourth trimester, it’s part of the pregnancy.”

    Tennis champ Serena Williams said she struggled with postpartum depression after giving birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.

    “Honestly, sometimes I still think I have to deal with it,” she said in a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK. “I think people need to talk about it more because it’s almost like the fourth trimester, it’s part of the pregnancy.”

    The pressure of wanting to be a good mom, maybe to a fault, weighed on the new mother. “I remember one day, I couldn’t find Olympia’s bottle and I got so upset I started crying… because I wanted to be perfect for her,” she said.

    The tennis superstar endured a complicated birth, which began with an emergency C-section, followed by more surgery for a pulmonary embolism and a large hematoma, a swelling of clotted blood, in her abdomen.

    But now that she’s recovering—already winning matches in the French Open before she withdrew from the tournament due to a pectoral injury on Monday (June 4)—she’s putting family first, ahead of tennis, and working on being a good role model for 9-month-old Alexis Jr.

    “I hope I am, and I’m going to strive to be the best mom I can be,” she said.

    Part of what makes her a good role model is her healthy attitude toward body image—something that didn’t come easy. Williams, who started competing professionally as a teen, endured a lot of body shaming for much of her career.

    “It was hard for me. People would say I was born a guy, all because of my arms, or because I’m strong,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “I was different to Venus: she was thin and tall and beautiful, and I am strong and muscular—and beautiful, but, you know, it was just totally different.”

    She said in another interview, “People are entitled to have their opinions, but what matters most is how I feel about me, because that’s what’s going to permeate the room I’m sitting in. It’s going to make you feel that I have confidence in myself whether you like me or not, or you like the way I look or not, if I do.”

    The 23-time Grand Slam champion is more focused on her daughter’s happiness. “I can show Olympia that I struggled, but now I’m happy with who I am and what I am and what I look like. Olympia was born and she had my arms, and instead of being sad and fearful about what people would say about her, I was just so happy.”

    View the original article at thefix.com