Millie Mackintosh opened up about dealing with the ‘baby blues’ after giving birth to daughter Sienna.
The Made In Chelsea star welcomed her first child with husband Hugo Taylor in May, and has been open about her life as a new mum ever since.
The 31-year-old previously spoke about going through an ‘anxiety spiral’ in a candid post on Instagram – telling fans the feelings ‘almost started to take over’ her life.
In an open letter for Grazia, she lifted the lid on her struggles with ‘baby blues’ at a time where everyone expected her to be ‘so radiant and happy’.
Millie recalled ‘not wanting to put a brave face on’ with visitors, as she penned: ‘As a new mum, everyone expects you to be so radiant and happy – but as I recently mentioned on Instagram, for about six weeks, I really struggled with the baby blues.
‘They kicked in three days following the birth, with all the hormonal changes that happen and are heightened with breastfeeding.
‘Other mums warned me that I might feel a bit tearful in those days, but nothing prepared me for how confusing that period of time would be.
‘I kept thinking, “Here I am: I’ve got this beautiful baby, I’ve got this amazing husband – and we’re so lucky.” I was asking myself, “Why am I sad?” And then, when you feel guilty for these feelings, you find yourself getting into a real cycle.’
Millie revealed that Hugo also struggled during this time because he just wanted to comfort her when she broke down – but eventually became ‘really good’ at giving her the space she needed.
‘I was very selective with who I told, but other friends who are mums and had been through similar things were really supportive,’ she continued. ‘Baby blues is a hard topic for women and their partners to speak about. I think by being more honest about these experiences, it helps everyone feel less alienated.’
Sienna is Millie and Hugo’s first child, with the pair tying the knot in 2018.
It hasn’t been an easy few months for the couple, and the E4 star spoke about the baby blues on Instagram last month, urging those going through similar feelings to speak out.
She explained that she eventually sought professional help from a doctor – who suggested that these emotions were due to her hormones.
‘I found it helpful to keep a diary of how I was feeling, noting which days I felt sad vs happy so I could see everything in more pragmatic way instead of living in a tidal wave of my emotions,’ she told fans.
‘Over time I could see from the diary that there were less and less sad days, which made me feel more positive and luckily by 6 weeks post-partum I felt much much better.
‘I found that being around nature really helped to boost my mood, so long walks in the park became a daily ritual. I was also very open with my midwife, friends and family about how I was feeling.’
Encouraging others to follow suit, Millie concluded: ‘I know for a lot of people sharing your doubts and worries can feel taboo as you fear that people will think the worst and that you’re not a good mum.
‘For me sharing those worries was a positive experience and I immediately felt those closest to me rally around to support me, Hugo and Sienna. They all checked in daily and reminded me it would pass and in my case they were right.’
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