Hayden Panettiere Shares What Really "Hurts" About Postpartum Struggles

Hayden Panettiere is getting real about her experience with postpartum depression.

In an exclusive interview with E! News' The Rundown, the Scream 6 star candidly shared how the emotional challenges she faced after welcoming daughter Kaya, now 8, affected her struggles with addiction. 

"I wish I knew about postpartum depression. I wish I knew to look out for it," she told host Erin Lim Rhodes. "I just thought there was something seriously wrong with me, so I thought, 'Fireball will fix this—duh!' And it didn't. It does for a moment, but then it makes everything worse."

For Hayden, her experience with postpartum depression felt especially isolating because she hadn't heard about it before her pregnancy.

"And then it hurts for you," Hayden, who shares Kaya with ex Wladimir Klitschko, explained. "You're like, 'I should be able to get over this all by myself.'"

Now with the knowledge that it's common for new moms to experience postpartum depression—symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic, include severe mood swings and difficulty bonding with your baby—Hayden feels it's important to share her story and let others know how they're not alone.

"I wish somebody told me that that was a possibility, told me it's OK if you birth your child and you're not immediately like, 'Oh my god, I love you more than anything in the entire world!'" she shared. "It's OK and not abnormal if [your baby] comes out and it's a blob, and you're like, 'Oh my gosh, this is like a crazy little creation that I'm going to love when I get to know you.'"

 

For more from Hayden, check out her full interview with The Rundown on Snapchat March 27.

Scream 6 is now in theaters.

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