Anne-Marie opens up about motherhood anxiety on Radio 2
Photo Credit: BBC
Anne-Marie spoke candidly this morning with Scott Mills on his BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show about the challenges of being a mother while returning to music.
She opened up about her experiences with anxiety and postnatal depression after having her two children, daughter Seven who is one, and her baby son who is just two months old.
“Getting back into music and being a mum has been really difficult,” Anne-Marie said. “Having a second one, it’s like the attention spread of the two is difficult.
“It’s just hard, but they’re like, the most beautiful little things you’ve ever seen in your life, so it’s kind of worth it.
“You know, when you’re in bed at the end of the day and you’re so exhausted, and then you look at pictures on your phone of them, and you’re like, oh, I love them so much when they’re asleep.”
She described how her body and mind have changed since becoming a mother. “I look different. I feel different. My brain is rewired. I swear everything has changed,” she revealed.
Anne-Marie spoke about how she experienced severe anxiety after having her first child. “I actually had anxiety so bad when I first had Seven and I didn’t want to be left alone,” she admitted.
“I didn’t know there was such thing as postnatal anxiety. I only knew about postnatal depression. So then I learned all about that, and then I went through postnatal depression. That was about six months after Seven was born.”
She also discussed the importance of therapy, saying it has helped her enormously even though she sometimes stopped and started it over the past few years.
“I started in lockdown, and I’ve done it consistently, and then I felt like I was okay, and I stopped doing it. And then I made the third album, and I was like, I don’t need therapy anymore.
“I’m fine, and then I had Seven and then I was like, okay, I’m sorry if you saw any of the interviews where I said I don’t need you anymore, can I have you back?! So now I do it again once a week.”
Anne-Marie added that having a routine has been a huge adjustment in her life. “When I think about routines, it stresses me out. If I don’t do it right, it stresses me out. And now I have to make three meals a day to make sure she’s good, you know? So it’s like, it’s all just a massive change, and now I’m in a routine that’s my life.”
Her advice to others in a similar situation was simple: “Probably speak to someone. Therapy is my best friend. But also tell people, because I never asked for help, and that’s why I got so tired. People think that you’re sweet when you’re pretending to be okay.”
She also spoke about her daughter watching her on TV, her recent trip to Glastonbury, practising karate and announced she’ll be performing at the Women’s Rugby World Cup opening ceremony at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light on Friday 22nd August!
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