(right) Iza Calzado and Bianca King | Image: YouTube/Magandang Buhay
Sisters-in-law Iza Calzado and Bianca King shared their experiences of going through postpartum depression and how they drew strength from each other in those times of condition.
King and Calzado’s daughters were born three weeks apart. The sisters-in-law recently held a double baptism for their daughters.
Sitting down on Magandang Buhay, King, who is married to Ralph Wintle, opened up about the lack of awareness on her part, mentioning that no one advised her that after giving birth, the mother was supposed to not be left alone, which caused her postpartum depression.
“‘Yung postpartum period ko which is until now actually was very challenging in Australia. Kasi hindi kami prepared. Hindi namin plinano na meron dapat kaming continuous care and support. Postpartum depression for me because I was alone,” she shared.
King revealed that she sought professional help to deal with the problem at hand, which helped her to process the situation properly.
“Nung nararamdaman ko na na I can’t cope, I really sought the help of a perinatal psychotherapist na midwife rin. So sa Australia uso ‘yung mga birth debrief. To be able to share those stories helped me process,” she said.
King affirmed that postpartum depression is normal among women and it doesn’t diminish their good qualities of being a mother.
“Postpartum depression is very common akala lang natin baby blues, you’re just tired, you’re just sad. Pero ‘yung ginagawa ng experience na ‘yon sa isang babae nasisira talaga ‘yung ulo at normal siya. It doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you or you’re a bad mother,” she said.
Iza Calzado’s mental preparation
Meanwhile, Calzado, who also has a share of experience with postpartum depression, revealed that, unlike King, she has managed to prepare for the aftermath of birth.
“Nagkaroon ako ng option manganak sa England kaso baka hindi ko kayanin doon mentally so sabi ko dito ako sa Pilipinas. Pati postpartum nutrition ko pinaghandaan ko. Hindi ako nahihiyang sabihin na meron akong night-nurse. Meron akong kasama sa bahay kasi wala ako ibang pamilyang matatakbuhan dito non,” she opened up.
A night nurse is a specialist who help parents take care of their newborn to give them a respite, especially at night. Their tasks include feeding and changing the baby while the parents, especially the mother, rest.
The “Encantadia” star said that it was also the process of feeling alone that made her depressed after giving birth, which sometimes caused her to take out her frustration on her husband, Ben Wintle.
“There’s also a feeling of isolation kahit na maraming tao sa paligid mo. ‘Yung parang tinitignan ko non si Ben parang tuloy lang ‘yung buhay niya, punta siya sa work. Nandito na ako ha, may support na ako pero naramdaman ko pa rin na parang mag isa ako,” shared the actress.
Having each other for support
The two emphasized that having each other helped them to cope with the situation, knowing they can relate to what the other is going through as a first time mother.
“And of course, having someone like Iza anytime of the day, four in the morning, ‘Hindi ako makatulog. Gising ka pa? Gising pa rin ako,’” said King on texting her sister-in-law during the wee hours.
“Knowing lang na hindi ka nag-iisa na pinagdadaanan ‘yon, magkaiba man ng circumstances. ‘Yung alam mo merong nanjan, may isang babae sa buhay mo na bagong nanay rin,” added Calzado.