Jennifer Lawrence recently opened up about her struggles with postpartum anxiety following the birth of her second child. In a candid interview with The New Yorker, she revealed, “I just thought every time he was sleeping he was dead,” highlighting her intense fears and worries as a new mother.
Postpartum Anxiety Experience
The actress noted her feelings of inadequacy, stating that she believed every cry from her son indicated deep dissatisfaction with his life and family. Lawrence expressed her concern that she might ruin her children, further emphasizing the overwhelming nature of her emotions.
Support from Technology
In an emotional moment, Lawrence recalled seeking advice from an AI chatbot, ChatGPT, while struggling with breastfeeding challenges. “You’re doing the most amazing thing for your baby,” she remembered the chatbot saying. Despite the comforting words, she admitted that hearing validation from a machine left her questioning the sincerity of similar support she received from others.
Medical Intervention
To manage her symptoms, Lawrence turned to Zurzuvae, an oral medication approved by the FDA in 2023 for postpartum depression. She attributed the medication to a significant easing of her anxiety symptoms.
Contrasting Experiences
Reflecting on her postpartum journeys, Lawrence shared that her experience with her second child was more challenging. “I had a worse postpartum with my second,” she explained, indicating a shift from battling the outside world to grappling with her internal feelings.
Feeling Isolated
Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival in May, during the press conference for her film “Die, My Love,” Lawrence described her postpartum moments as “extremely isolating.” She remarked, “The truth is extreme anxiety and extreme depression is isolating no matter where you are. You feel like an alien.”
Lawrence went on to discuss how motherhood has altered her creatively. “I didn’t know that I could feel so much,” she said, highlighting the deep emotional connections she experiences, which are crucial to her acting work.
Understanding Postpartum Anxiety
Postpartum anxiety can disrupt daily life when normal concerns become overwhelming, typically diagnosed within the first six months after childbirth. According to Mayra Mendez, a psychotherapist at Providence Saint John’s Child and Family Development Center, small behavioral adjustments, such as increased sleep and mindfulness practices, can be effective in managing anxiety.
Unlike postpartum depression, which often presents as sadness and fatigue, postpartum anxiety manifests as a relentless state of worry and hypervigilance, leading to persistent feelings of dread, as noted by the National University Health System Singapore.
