Adele Shares Her History of Postpartum Depression in an Interview With Vanity Fair

Adele, known for her powerhouse vocals, isn’t shy when it comes to songwriting. Now, the 28-year-old is using her voice to speak up about postpartum depression.

“I had really bad postpartum depression after I had my son, and it frightened me,” the singer told Vanity Fair. Adele chose not to take antidepressants, and credited advice from her partner, Simon Konecki, for getting her through four years ago, after the birth of their son.

“I didn’t talk to anyone about it. I was very reluctant . . . . My boyfriend said I should talk to other women who were pregnant, and I said, ‘F-ck that, I ain’t hanging around with a f-ckin’ bunch of mothers.’ Then, without realizing it, I was gravitating towards pregnant women and other women with children, because I found they’re a bit more patient. You’ll be talking to someone, but you’re not really listening, because you’re so f-ckin’ tired.”

While it is common for women to feel stressed, sad, anxious or lonely after having a baby, around one in eight women develop severe symptoms known as postpartum depression. Postpartum depression does not go away on its own, requiring treatment which, depending on the severity of your symptoms, can range from behavioral therapy and support groups to antidepressants.

“One day I said to a friend, ‘I f-ckin’ hate this,’ and she just burst into tears and said, ‘I f-ckin’ hate this, too.’ And it was done. It lifted,” Adele said. “My knowledge of postpartum — or post-natal, as we call it in England — is that you don’t want to be with your child; you’re worried you might hurt your child; you’re worried you weren’t doing a good job. But I was obsessed with my child. I felt very inadequate; I felt like I’d made the worst decision of my life… It can come in many different forms.”

Now, Adele says she makes time for self-care and realizes that spending time without your child, time that’s meant for yourself, doesn’t make you a bad mother. “Eventually I just said, I’m going to give myself an afternoon a week, just to do whatever the f-ck I want without my baby,” she said. “Four of my friends felt the same way I did, and everyone was too embarrassed to talk about it; they thought everyone would think they were a bad mom, and it’s not the case. It makes you a better mom if you give yourself a better time.”

Photo Credit: Kristopher Harris