Shay Mitchell Reflects On "Severe Depression" During Pregnancy

The Pretty Little Liars actress opened up about her journey to motherhood.

By Vannessa Jackson Oct 04, 2019 5:18 PMTags
Watch: How Shay Mitchell Told "Dollface" Costars She Was Pregnant

The journey isn't always paved with gold. 

Actress Shay Mitchell is opening up and getting real about her pregnancy journey. The You star sat down with the blog HATCHland to discuss everything about her thriving business, YouTube pregnancy series Almost Ready and how she feels about being a new mom. While she couldn't be more thrilled to bring life into the world, Shay also revealed that the road to baby has had a lot more dark days than she'd imagined. 

"The first five months of this pregnancy were super isolating, and I went through a severe depression," the soon-to-be mom shared. "I previously had a miscarriage and that experience gave me anxiety about sharing the news of this pregnancy with anyone outside of our parents."

Shay revealed that it was a tough experience having to hide the news from not only the world, but her loved ones as well.

Watch
Shay Mitchell Is Pregnant! All You Need to Know About Her BF

"With the first pregnancy, I was elated and told everyone at eight weeks," Shay shared. "However, I wanted to be sure that this second pregnancy would be viable before shouting it from the rooftops, so I hid it for nearly six months and became very anti-social. Usually, I'm incredibly active and outgoing, but instead, I mainly stayed home to avoid stares and questions. I was extremely lonely." 

While Shay admitted it was a difficult season to overcome, she realized that once she began speaking about her experiences, other women were able to find refuge and strength in her story.

"I think it's really interesting that prepartum depression or feelings of isolation in pregnancy are not more vastly discussed," she said. "Feeling that I was alone in my depression compounded my state of mind, but I have found since sharing the news publicly that many women feel as I did…pregnancy can be a hard time, especially if you're having to hide it. After I came out publicly, I felt an enormous wave of relief and was finally able to start enjoying the pregnancy."

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Pregnant Shay Mitchell's European Vacation

Shay admitted that her prepartum depression was the most surprising part of her journey, and revealed that she's happy women are finally opening up and sharing their stories with one another. 

"I've been fortunate since sharing the news of my pregnancy to have some amazing conversations with other pregnant women and moms and know that all these feelings are 'normal,'" She explained. "So now we just need to normalize them by discussing more openly!" 

Among the many wonderful parts of pregnancy, Shay also dished on whether she's chosen a name yet—she has! However, Shay and her boyfriend Matte Babel are keeping the name to themselves until the birth. But she did dish on the one thing she's planning to have immediately after labor. "My drink of choice is a Slurpee with half soda and Hennessy," she revealed. "That's right, you heard me. I want a legit 7-Eleven Slurpee (I love all the flavors mixed!) with a little soda, crushed ice, and Hennessy."

Sounds like the perfect treat to us!