Kylie Padilla opens up about past childbirth complications, urges support for mothers

Kylie Padilla with her sons, Alas and Axl. Image: Instagram/@kylienicolepadilla

Kylie Padilla candidly shared her past struggles after childbirth as she urged for amplified support for fellow mothers in the form of paid maternity leave and postpartum depression awareness.

Padilla recently reposted a story on Facebook about a mother in Sta. Maria, Bulacan, who set her house on fire with her three children inside after reportedly being driven to the edge by postpartum depression and poverty.

The “Encantadia” actress stated that her previous post hit close to home as she recalled the time when she could not walk for about three months following the birth of her second child.

“My last post is very personal to me. After giving birth to my second son I also suffered and still suffer from complications of childbirth or ‘binat’ as they call it. There were also complications in my spinal cord injection. I could not walk for about 3 months without my lower body shaking and headaches, nerve pain and over fatigue,” she narrated.

Padilla also shared that she struggled with breastfeeding her kids, and all that stress eventually took a toll on her health.

“So all the stress, anxiety and body pain absolutely took a toll on my body. I never thought I would ever recover. I never thought I would ever get past that dark place that I was in. My support system then was also lacking. It’s hard to explain to those who could not understand the concept of ‘binat,’” she explained.

The celebrity mom emphasized that she was fortunate to have the means to support herself, acknowledging that not all mothers have the same privilege.

“Anyway, this post is not about me. I had savings and I had the ability to support myself. But not all moms have this. So I am urging people to push paid maternity leave and postpartum depression awareness,” the actress continued.

“Mothers deserve time to rest their bodies and minds after childbirth. They deserve to be able to take care of themselves as well as their children. We need a world where everyone feels supported! So our moms can better take care of our children!” she concluded the post.

Padilla shares two sons, Alas and Axl, with her ex-husband, actor Aljur Abrenica. The couple tied the knot in 2018 before announcing their split after three years of marriage.

Abrenica is now in a relationship with AJ Raval, while Padilla has remained mum on the status of her relationship with her rumored non-showbiz boyfriend.