See the singer's intimate statement on her well-being after welcoming her son, Winter Mercy.
Alanis Morissette is sharing that, following her third pregnancy, she is once again coping with postpartum depression.
The 45-year-old songstress broke the news on her own site on Sunday with a long, personal essay exploring what she's been going through since welcoming her son, Winter Mercy, with husband Mario "Souleye" Treadway, on Aug. 12. She also posted a precious photo of herself and her newborn with the words of her essay superimposed over the image. The artwork was also shared on her Instagram account.
"I wasn't sure if i would have post partum depression/anxiety this time around," she begins, adding, "There are so many tentacles to this experience. I will break them down in time, i have answers and protocols and solutions and RX's to be sure."
"Hormonal. sleep deprivation. Fogginess. Physical pain. isolation. anxiety. cortisol," she writes. "Recovery from childbirth (as beautiful and intense as mine was at home, dream birth.), integrating new angel baby with older angel babies. marriage. all kinds of PTSD triggers. overstimulation. this body. attempting to crawl back to some semi-recognizable configuration."
Morissette later comments that she doesn't feel society at large is supportive enough of new parents -- particularly new moms. However, she hints that she believes progress is trending in the right way.
"This culture is not set up to honor women properly after birth. i see it [is] changing, which is so heartening," she writes. "But the general way is bereft of the honoring and tenderness and attunement and village-ness that post partum deeply warrants. the new mom, the new parent(s) is creating the foundation for the circumventing of so much of the pain and divisiveness that we see in the world."
The singer concludes: "Wouldn't it be cool if we treated all post partum moms and families with this awareness and honor. ...that there might be a life raft of empathy toward the feminine life-givers who bear it all and give more than words can even begin to touch on. more soon. i won't remember typing this. and i am finally realizing that that is entirely ok. so much more to write, soon. i love you. i am here. with you. we're not alone."
As fans know, Morissette has also been forthright in the past concerning the postpartum depression she experienced following the births of her son Ever Imre, 8, and daughter Onyx Solace, 2.
"There are days I'm debilitated to the point where I can barely move," she told People in 2017. "It's very isolating. I'm used to being the Rock of Gibraltar, providing, protecting and maneuvering. It had me question everything. I've known myself to be a really incredible decision-maker and a leader that people can rely on. [Now] I can barely decide what to eat for dinner."
On top of her bouts with postpartum depression, Morissette has also faced multiple miscarriages in the past while in pursuit of a three-child family. Since, she's also candidly discussed that struggle as well.
"I [...] felt so much grief and fear," she told Self magazine of the loss in June. "I chased and prayed for pregnancy and learned so much about my body and biochemistry and immunity and gynecology through the process. It was a torturous learning and loss-filled and persevering process."
See more on Morissette below.
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