The GRAMMY-nominated star opens up about struggling with her body image since she welcomed son Halo in December 2023.
Halle Bailey is opening up about the tribulations of her postpartum journey after giving birth to her son, Halo. In a Snapchat video that was shared to Instagram by a fan on Tuesday, Bailey said that she wants to share her postpartum struggles to bring awareness after she was "triggered" by social media comments she saw about her family.
Although the 24-year-old gushed about her "perfect" baby boy, she confessed that it hasn't been easy since she and boyfriend DDG welcomed their first child in December.
"I just wanted to speak a little bit about my postpartum journey as a new mom," the six-time GRAMMY nominee began. "I have severe, severe postpartum [depression], and I don't know if any new moms can relate, but it's to the point where it's really bad, and it's hard for me to be separated from my baby for more than 30 minutes at a time before I start to kind of freak out."
"You all know that Halo has the most amazing daddy in the world," she added, praising DDG for his support during the tumultuous period post-birth. "Moo Moo is just the perfect dad to him. He loves him so much; he's so present. And I couldn't have asked for a better person to have a baby with because of how present he is and how much he wants to be in his life, and how supportive he is of me and my ventures."
The Little Mermaid star explained that her postpartum depression is connected to her struggles with body image since becoming a mother.
"Halo is a miracle. He is perfect. He is beautiful. When I look at him, I cry because of how special he is. The only thing that's been hard for me is feeling normal in my own body," Bailey said. "I feel like a completely different person when I look in the mirror. I just feel like I'm in a whole new body, and I don't know who I am."
Bailey said that dealing with postpartum depression hasn't been easy, especially considering the stigma that comes along with openly discussing said depression. "Before I had a child and I would hear people talk about postpartum, it would kind of just go in one ear and out the other... I didn't realize how serious of a thing it actually was," she admitted.
"Now going through it, it feels like you're swimming in this ocean that's like the biggest waves you've ever felt, and you're trying not to drown," Bailey added.
Still, Bailey shared that motherhood is full of moments that give her reprieve from feeling like she's "drowning." And she emphasized that her depression has "nothing" to do with baby Halo.
"It has nothing to do with my baby. It has everything to do with me and who I am right now," she said. "I guess today I was just triggered -- especially [since] social media is just not a good thing to be on when you have postpartum -- but I was just really triggered today, especially by seeing some of the things that have been said about me and my family, and the one that I love and the ones that I love."
"It's just, it's honestly, it's really, really crazy to me that people would feel the need to say such hurtful things," the Color Purple star told her followers. "Normally, I'm OK. Like, normally, I'll see it -- and it will hurt my feelings -- but I won't say anything. I'm normally good with not saying anything. I just suck it up, swallow my pride and just wish that person well -- whoever said something horrible about me and my family. I just wish them well."
"But today I couldn't because it grows something in me to bring awareness to," she concluded. "Even though you may look up to certain people and you think that they are celebrities, and they appear to have it all together, you never know what somebody else is going through, especially someone who just had a baby literally."
Bailey has previously spoken out about how social media influenced her decision to hide her pregnancy throughout all of 2023. At the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards last month, Bailey told audience members that the "hard" lessons she learned growing up in the entertainment industry led her to "a place of protection" over her own child and family.
"There was no way in hell I was going to share the biggest joy of my world with anyone," she said from the stage in videos posted to social media. The singer also added that her son, Halo, "was my gift, is the greatest blessing and I had no obligation to expose him, me or my family to that unyielding spotlight."
As she addressed the group after her sister, Chloe Bailey, presented her with the award, she wiped away tears while talking about protecting her newborn son from the world. In the same breath, Bailey also called the exciting moment the "biggest joy of her life."
"What was one of the biggest highlights of my life, and to be real, one of the biggest challenges too, cannot compare to the biggest joy of my life and that was becoming a mom to my perfect little angel, Halo," she shared.
After she and DDG publicly shared the news of their bundle of joy, Bailey faced criticism from fans who said she "lied" and "gaslit" people when it came to the pregnancy rumors. In response, the Chloe x Halle singer hit back at those who had an issue with how she handled her pregnancy.
"i never lied or even said anything about it honey, making a joke about my nose was the farthest i went," she wrote on Instagram. "i'll never understand why you are mad i protected my own peace, wouldn't you do the same? and i'm gonna share my pics now if i want to because my son is here safely, if u don’t wanna see it just keep scrolling baby lol God bless you !😘♥️"
DDG spoke with podcast host Jason Lee in February, where he expanded on the couple's decision to keep their baby news private until Bailey gave girl. DDG revealed the pair chose to keep it private with the goal to minimize any stress on Bailey during her pregnancy.
"I think it was more so like, people was already giving us negative vibes so it's like, why let them know and then let them make her pregnancy stressful?" he shared.
In February, ET talked with the happy parents from the Recording Academy Honors presented by the Black Music Collective, their first public outing since welcoming Halo, and they said they were over the moon with their new arrival.
"It's wonderful," Bailey said. "I love our baby so much. We're so happy."
"It's amazing," DDG added.
At the GRAMMY Awards that same month, she told ET that not only has her son been a massive blessing in her life, but that Halo has even made her more confident.
"Gucci made it for me and I feel confident. I’m really excited. I think I was excited to step back and wear form-fitting stuff after pregnancy so it's been really fun," she said of her dress. "I definitely feel more powerful and, like, more womanly, you know?"
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