Kris Bernal reveals postpartum anxiety diagnosis

Kris Bernal was diagnosed with post partum anxiety, the actress revealed on "Fast Talk with Boy Abunda" Tuesday.

"Nahirapan talaga ako," Kris admitted, saying she really didn't expect motherhood to be that difficult.

"I was enjoying the whole time being pregnant. Hindi ko alam na ang hirap pala pag nanganak ka na," she added.

Apart from crying spells, the new mom experienced not having enough time for herself "para magsuklay, kumain, maligo — yung skin care ko, wala na, nakalimutan ko na," Kris said.

She also gave birth via caesarian, making her recovery longer and more difficult. "Grabe yung pain, yung recovery ang tagal. Everything stopped — I stopped vlogging, yung social media ko wala ka nang makikita kasi nagbago talaga ang mundo ko," Kris said.

Kris gave birth to baby girl Hailee Lucca in September 2023. While she calls her daughter an "easy baby," what made motherhood difficult for Kris was having to go through changes.

"I feel, bagong tao ako. I can no longer recognize my old self. Things that I used to love, wala na," she told the King of Talk teary eyed.

"It's really not easy," she added. "I was diagnosed with postpartum anxiety kasi nahirapan talaga ako mag-adjust pero so far it's getting better."

"This doesn't mean I'm not grateful," the new mom quickly clarified. "Na hindi ko gusto 'tong journey ko. Ito ang pinakamagandang nangyari sa buhay ko."

Kris was visibly emotional after hearing Tito Boy's story about women athletes coming back stronger after giving birth. "Naiiyak ako. Actually, sabi ko, 'ang strong ko pala?' Akala ko, ito lang ang kaya ko gawin. Pero pag naging mommy ka, willing ka gawin lahat kahit wala kang tulog. Latat i-sa-sacrifice mo. Hindi ko akalain na ganun akong ka-strong."  

Postpartum anxiety is when a new mom experiences severe anxiety that "are often out of control and take over your thoughts," Cleveland Clinic said.

"Some level of worry is expected after welcoming a new baby to your family. But, if you have postpartum anxiety, the worry can be all-consuming or make you feel worried all day and all night. It often causes you to have irrational fears or excessive worries about events that are unlikely to happen," it added.

According to Harvard Medical School, one in five women has postpartum anxiety.

— LA, GMA Integrated News