Katie Stevens is reflecting on her experience with postpartum depression.
Nearly six months after the Bold Type star welcomed her first baby Rome with husband Paul DiGiovanni, the 30-year-old is detailing her personal journey.
"If any of you have listened to the episode of the Hold My Hair? podcast that I did, I talked a little bit about how I struggled with some postpartum depression," Katie said in an Aug. 14 Instagram Story video. "I feel like people don't talk about it enough. It looks different for everyone."
As she noted of her experience, "For me, my anxiety got way worse. I was just overwhelmed all the time. And I personally have a severe allergy to asking for help, so I didn't want to do that."
Katie went on to explain that another layer she felt wasn't spoken about too often was "not recognizing yourself."
"Obviously, my role as a mother is one of the best jobs I've ever had in my entire life," she said, "but you go through a period that no one told me about where you just don't recognize yourself."
As Katie shared, new moms may face a personal adjustment period in their life after welcoming a baby.
"When you have a baby, as soon as the baby is born, you're also born as a mother," she continued. "And there are things that you gain and things that you lose. For me, obviously, your independence and getting to do whatever you want. Now I have my daughter, who I think of before everything and I wouldn't change that for the world—but I definitely had to go through a grieving process of my old life."
And as the American Idol alum shared, she believes that grieving process is "healthy" for moms amid their new chapter, "because you change so much and your body has changed so much, your brain can't catch up with the speed at which you've changed."
Katie also recalled the physical aspects of her postpartum depression journey, noting her gratitude for the support she received during that time.
"I had many nights where I was having panic attacks and sleepless nights because of it and I'm very lucky that I have a wonderful partner, I have wonderful family and friends that really rallied around me and helped me through that," she said. "I still have my days, but everybody told me, it gets better and there will be days that the sun shines more and that's definitely been true for me."
And though the Polaroid actress shared she began embarking on her wellness journey last year, she was in no rush to "bounce back."
"I want to be healthy again, because I also just haven't been eating well or taking care of myself in that department," she added, "because my focus has been on my daughter, and to be the best mom I can be I also have to be the best version of myself."
The singer concluded her heartfelt message with words of praise for fellow moms, sharing, "I just want to send a message to any mamas out there and just say: You guys are warriors. I understood that motherhood was hard but whoa. I just feel so privileged to be in your company."