Actor Jamie Chung, who welcomed twin boys via surrogate, is opening up about her experience with postpartum depression.
“I was so resentful, and I had anxiety and I was angry,” Chung revealed during a Facebook Live last month.
“The Real World: San Diego” alum added that her family, which includes husband Bryan Greenberg, “were walking on eggshells.”
While experts once thought that the changing hormones associated with pregnancy and childbirth caused postpartum depression, they now understand that multiple factors can contribute to it.
According to Dr. Jessica Vernon, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at NYU Langone Health, women who have a history of anxiety or depression are at higher risk for postpartum depression. Other risk factors include a history of infertility, multiple births, a complicated delivery and having a newborn admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Vernon told TODAY Parents.
Chung had several risk factors, including babies who were born prematurely and taken to the NICU. She’s also opened up about undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).
“She was definitely high risk,” said Vernon, who has never treated Chung. “We've started screening women at their initial prenatal visit for risk factors. Preventative care is so important with postpartum depression and anxiety. You want to have resources and a support system in place ahead of the birth.”
Chung began seeing a therapist shortly after learning she was going to be a mom.
“Therapy really helped me prep mentally for this lifestyle change,” Chung revealed in an interview with People on Tuesday. “You don’t want to start with something negative or challenging, but I do think that these postpartum depression issues are so real.”
Chung and Greenberg announced in October that they secretly welcomed twins.