Singer Alanis Morissette shares her battle with depression after the birth of her son.
Alanis and her beau Mario “Souleye” Treadway welcomed a baby boy, Ever Imre, in December, 2010. The former ‘Weeds’ actress opened up about this birth and the struggle she went through to pull herself out of a deep post-partum depression.
She shared her birth experience with Britain’s You Magazine. “I had a natural birth at home in my bedroom. It was very long – over 25 hours – and harrowing. Not unusually for me, I was silent, so it felt like this long drug trip of a prayer that was physically excruciating. My husband saved the day. When I asked him, he would squeeze my head. At other times he would just be there and that was all I needed.”
Alanis on the dark days that followed: “The degree and intensity of my post-natal depression shocked me. I am predisposed to depression, but what surprised me this time was the physical pain. I hadn’t realized the depths to which you can ache – limbs, back, torso, head, everything hurt – and it went on for 15 months. I felt as if I was covered in tar and everything took 50 times more effort than normal. I wished I could have cried but there was no relief during that time; my version of depression is almost below crying where there is just despondency.”
The celebrity mom says that it took some time, but she’s feeling much better now: “I had various therapies and now I feel all light and springy. Thankfully, it didn’t interfere with the bond with my son, although I think that has strengthened since I got better in April.”
Alanis is one of the musicians whose name is being tossed around for one of the open judges’ seats on the next season of ‘American Idol’.
Photos by WENN
