‘OITNB’ Star Danielle Brooks Opens Up About Postpartum Depression, Pressure To ‘Bounce Back Miraculously’ After Welcoming First Child
Known to fans of “Orange Is the New Black” for portraying inmate Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson, actress Danielle Brooks is currently promoting her latest role, gospel music legend Mahalia Jackson in new Lifetime movie “Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia”.
In an interview with Parents, Brooks gets candid about her experience with motherhood after she and fiancé Dennis Gelin welcomed daughter Freeya in 2019.
According to Brooks, she’s found herself confronting the often-unrealistic expectations that are placed on new moms.
“I gained a lot of weight during my pregnancy, and I think I did go through postpartum depression,” she revealed. “I was trying to stay positive when it felt like my whole world had flipped upside down.”
She also addressed the physical aspects of carrying a child for nine months. “Creating a human takes a toll on women’s bodies,” Brooks admitted. “Sometimes we don’t give ourselves enough love or patience about that. You may think you’re going to bounce back miraculously, but that’s not true for a lot of people. I’m one of them. While I want to return to my pre-baby size, at the same time, I want to love this skin that I’m in now.”
Following Mahalia, Brooks joined the DC film universe, and is has been in Vancouver filming upcoming superhero flick “Peacemaker”.
While she initially worried about how becoming a mother would affect her career, she’s become a lot more comfortable as a working mom.
“We all worry if we’ll ever work again. ‘Will people see me as a burden because I have a child and I need somebody to care for her? Will people accommodate me?’ The fact is, I can do my job,” she said. “Now I’m in the DC world. Before, I thought, ‘If I ever got that kind of role, I want to be in the best shape of my life.’ I’m not. But they hired me where I am, so I have to have a little grace. What we’re able to do as women is phenomenal. It’s queen status,” Brooks added.
