Olivia Bowen has opened up about struggling with postpartum anxiety and the effects it had on her after having her son.
The former Love Island star welcomed her son Abel into the world in June of last year and has now had an open conversation about life after her son.
Olivia asked her 3.1M Instagram followers to suggest questions for her to answer on her Stories so she could have a catch-up with her fans.
When asked if she thought she got postpartum depression or anxiety, the 29-year-old posted an old photo of herself crying as she was breastfeeding Abel and explained, “I feel the lines are very blurred between raging rollercoaster hormones after having a baby and having PPD/ PPA”.
“I definitely had anxiety but wasn't aware. I would time every sleep Abel had, I would keep a record of it & I would obsess over it everyday”.
“I struggled with how much breastmilk he would have & feel like a failure if he didn't eat”.
“Looking back, the poor sod just might not of been hungry. And I definitely wish I never obsessed over his sleeping. He was so young & it took away so much of the joy of that first 8 weeks for sure”.
“It is so so common. keep your family & friends close & always tell someone if you're feeling super low”.
When asked about having physical symptoms of anxiety, the former reality TV star said, “I would say I feel sick almost every day I wake up. always anxiety sickness mostly in the morning and sometimes in the eve”.
Olivia then went into detail about her relationship with her husband, Alex, and how they have been as a couple since becoming parents.
“We are good. We are getting to grips with it all. We had just each other to worry about for 6 years so adding a new little person into the equation brings so much joy but also new challenges”.
Bowen continued, “You have to alter the way your relationship runs. Getting us time is so hard but we are so happy. He is my lobster”.
Olivia and Alex first met on Love Island where they came in second place. They went on to tie the knot in Olivia’s hometown of Essex in 2018 and announced they were expecting their first child together on New Year's Day, 2022.
