Olivia Bowen has reflected on her mental health challenges during her pregnancy.
On February 6, the former Love Island finalist announced that she is expecting her second child with her husband, Alex Bowen. The couple are already parents to their two-year-old son Abel.
However, one month later, Olivia revealed that she had initially been expecting twins, but tragically lost one of her babies due to Vanishing Twin Syndrome.
Now, as she prepares to give birth to her little one, Olivia has been opening up about her struggles with mental health.
In honour of Maternal Mental Health Week, the 31-year-old took to Instagram to upload candid snaps from her life, including recent interviews where she spoke about her experience with Vanishing Twin Syndrome.
“I have battled with depression & anxiety for most of my teen years onwards & when I felt its ugly head rising stronger than I’d ever felt when I was pregnant with Abel - I was absolutely terrified. I felt like that darkness was taking over & pulling me down with both paws,” she recalled.
“I felt it again after giving birth, have felt it intermittently throughout motherhood. It’s not just the hormones, it’s the whole expectation, the change & the world feeling different to what you have experienced your whole life,” she explained.
“Then fast forward to this year, losing one of our precious babies to vanishing twin syndrome & going through the most complicated batch of emotions I’ve ever felt. But feeling strong & powerful enough as a woman & a mother to share & wow, the response of women who had been through the same,” the reality star continued.
Concluding that “the most powerful thing you can do is share”, Olivia pleaded to her followers: “Never be ashamed of your emotion. It is the most incredible thing about you - being able to feel so deeply. It is so scary to be so vulnerable isn’t it?”
Many of Olivia’s fans have since praised her for her honesty, with one writing: “So brave to speak about this and raise awareness.”
“You're honestly an inspiration,” another agreed.
