Shay Mitchell had anxiety about sharing her pregnancy news, after having previously suffered a miscarriage.
Shay Mitchell
The 'Pretty Little Liars' star is currently expecting her first child with her boyfriend Matte Babel, but after previously undergoing a miscarriage - which she discussed for the first time in January - she was scared to announce her current pregnancy.
She said: "I previously had a miscarriage and that experience gave me anxiety about sharing the news of this pregnancy with anyone outside of our parents. With the first pregnancy, I was elated and told everyone at eight weeks. However, I wanted to be sure that this second pregnancy would be viable before shouting it from the rooftops, so I hid it for nearly six months and became very antisocial.
"Usually, I'm incredibly active and outgoing, but instead, I mainly stayed home to avoid stares and questions. I was extremely lonely."
During the time she kept her pregnancy a secret, the 32-year-old actress was "paranoid" that people would think she was gaining weight when her body began to change, and says that as a result, she began to suffer from prepartum depression.
She explained: "As long as I can remember, I've heard about postpartum depression. However, to be depressed at the beginning came as a shock. The isolation and anxiety I experienced was crippling. I thought I was going out of my mind and questioned why nobody ever talked to me about this phase.
"I've been fortunate since sharing the news of my pregnancy to have some amazing conversations with other pregnant women and moms and know that all these feelings are 'normal,' so now we just need to normalise them by discussing more openly!"
The 'You' actress finally told the world she is expecting a baby girl with Matte in June this year, and is "happy" she was able to reveal her pregnancy on her own terms.
Speaking to maternity lifestyle brand HATCH, Shay - who is due to give birth this month - said: "I was able to come out on my terms in exactly the way that I wanted. I was a little nervous that at some point a photo would be released before I was ready to talk about the pregnancy. I'm so happy it all worked out as I had hoped."
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