Hayden Panettiere Opens up About Postpartum Depression: ‘I Thought There Was Something Seriously Wrong With Me’

Hayden Panettiere is opening up about her experience with postpartum depression after giving birth to daughter Kaya Edokia in 2014. The Scream VI star, 33, said she wished she had been educated about PPD before she became a mother and that someone had “told me it’s okay” during a discussion with E! News‘ The Rundown.

“I wish I knew to look out for it,” Panettiere said. “But I never heard any stories about it at all. I just thought there was something seriously wrong with me, so I thought, ‘[Alcohol] will fix this. Duh!’ And it didn’t. It does for a moment, but then it made everything worse.” The Nashville star continued that at the time, she felt like there was “something seriously wrong with me.”

“I wish somebody told me it’s okay if you give birth to your child and you’re not immediately like, ‘Oh my god, I love you more than anything in the entire world right now.’ It’s okay and not abnormal,” she shared. It was also painful to have people not treat her condition like it was as serious as it was, “because you’re like, ‘They’re saying I should be able to get over this all by myself.’”

This isn’t the first time the Heroes alum has spoken about her experience with PPD and addiction. In March, Panettiere told Women’s Health she experienced “extreme hopelessness” while suffering from PPD and drinking alcohol. “I should have gone on antidepressants [to cope with the postpartum depression], but you have to find the right one that works for you,” she told the outlet. “They don’t mix well with alcohol, and I wasn’t ready to stop drinking.”

Undergoing treatment for PPD in 2015 and 2021, Panettiere said she eventually felt like she had “this blank canvas” to work with in her recovery, which included reclaiming her body after childbirth. “My body still didn’t feel like it belonged to me,” the actress said of her decision to get a breast reduction in November 2022. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with somebody who wants to tweak something if it makes them feel more confident. That’s all I have to say about it. My confidence is back.”

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available.