with Tatyana Ali
Eugenia Miranda Richman
SheKnows Editor-in-Chief
For new moms, the last year has been an extraordinary time on top of an extraordinary time — giving birth and taking care of a newborn during the pandemic of a century. And it’s taken an immeasurable toll on women.
Since March 2020, rates of depression have increased by at least 15 to 20 percent, according to a study by Brigham and Women’s Hospital. One in five new mothers reported significant generalized anxiety. But that’s not the whole picture. “We are missing the perspectives of various important segments of the population,” said Dr. Cindy Liu, the study’s author.
And so with this season of rebirth, we bring you “The Fourth Trimester.” Our third digital issue sheds light on important mental health issues facing new parents, shares inspirational stories, offers support, and — we hope — makes mothers feel seen.
Tatyana Ali, whom we photographed in our L.A. studio in late March, shares her story of transformation — how a traumatic experience with the birth of her first son led her to become an advocate. Vampire Diaries alum-turned podcaster Candice King gets real about asking for help. The writers of the new birthing and perinatal guide The Zen Mama, Teresa Palmer and Sarah Wright Olsen, offer remedies for “baby brain.” And sound-healer Nicole Rutsch leads a 5-minute meditation that will help you recharge. Read on for these and many more stories that will help you through what The Atlantic writer Sophie Gilbert recently called this “fog of love and milk.”
Tatyana Ali Is Reclaiming Her Joy
& Finding Her Voice
By Erika Janes
I’ve always been open and authentic on my platforms. For me, that’s the easier route. I can’t imagine how exhausting it would be to pretend that my life was perfect, my house was immaculate, and I was always put together. So for me, it’s just, if it enables another woman to think, ‘I’m okay, too.’
Iskra Lawrence, IRL
By Erika Janes
The Pandemic Has Created a Mental Health
Crisis for New Moms
By Danielle Sinay
Tatyana Ali is reclaiming her joy — and helping other
Black moms and moms-to-be find theirs. The actress and singer began her career at age six on Sesame Street and gained widespread fame playing the role of Ashley Banks
on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,
By Nicole Rutsch
A 5-Minute Sound-Healing Meditation
to Relax & Recharge
How to Prep for the 4th Trimester, According to the Childcare Expert to the Stars Nanny Connie
Here's the thing about the first months after having a baby: No matter how much people talk about what the postpartum period feels like for a mom or birthing parent, you don't really understand until you've been there. Which leads us to a fundamental flaw in this system we call parenting: Your partner may not intuitively know what you're going through. But just because they don't feel it doesn't mean they can't help you.
But how can they help? And how can birth parents get over that nearly universal instinct to hide their suffering because they think being a good parent is being strong? For the answers, we turned to Connie Simpson, a.k.a. Nanny Connie, the favorite postpartum nanny to the stars and author of The Nannie Connie Way: Secrets to Mastering the First Four Months of Pregnancy. After caring for hundreds of babies and their parents, she's seen some stuff. And she has some ideas of what works, and what doesn't, for parents tackling this fourth trimester together.
By Sabrina Rojas Weiss
By Chloe Castleberry
What Chrissy Teigen, Gwyneth Paltrow & More Famous Moms Have To Say About Postpartum Depression
By Candice King
Asking for Help Showed Me How Strong I Am as a Mom
By Sabrina Rojas Weiss
Why Jade Roper Tolbert Hid Her Postpartum Depression at First
What's the advice you wish you had gotten postpartum?
“My husband and I were sitting in a restaurant when I was nine months pregnant. We noticed the family next to us with like four kids, and they just [told us]: Make sure you ask for help. And that doesn't mean you always need to hand over the baby. It means ask for help with cleaning the house and doing dishes. ... New moms and parents, you try to feel like you can take on the world and you just don't need to.”
Shawn Johnson East
Tatyana Ali
“I wish someone had said, ‘Pay attention and they'll tell you what they need. They tell you what stage they're at. Like, you should read all the books, you should, because you need as much information as possible. But the kids will tell you when it's time for [the next thing]. Like, they can stay in the crib
a little longer if they’re not jumping out of it, it's okay.”
Iskra Lawrence
“I'm 12 months into this, and I'm actually realizing that I could have done more things for me when my baby wasn’t crawling. Because as soon as they start crawling, you actually have to be even more completely focused on what they're doing. And I guess I wish I’d known how bad the bleeding was — that you’re going to have to wear adult diapers for at least three weeks. And that your periods, when they come back, they're going to be horrendous. The pain, the cramps, the migraines, I had no idea.”
Jade Roper Tolbert
“Just give yourself grace. I think I put such big expectations [on myself] to be like supermom and the perfect mom. And I think for new moms, [they need to] know to give themselves grace and to just really connect with your baby.”
By Teresa Palmer & Sarah Wright Olsen
Remedies for the Baby Blues & Baby Brain From The Zen Mama
Teresa Palmer & Sarah Wright Olsen’s new book, The Zen Mama Guide to Finding Your Rhythm in Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond, offers new parents actionable tips to make life easier.
click to shop
By Erika Janes & Tamara Kraus
Postpartum Care Essentials Every Birthing Mom Needs
By Sabrina Rojas Weiss
The Best Postpartum Boudoir Photos From Moms Who Love Their Bodies
Read More...
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The model and new mama is championing body diversity with unretouched lingerie photos and raw honesty, even
if it stokes the mom-shamers.
Vampire Diaries star and podcaster Candice King writes candidly about her fourth trimester experience the second time around with her new baby girl, Josephine June.
Once I was able to admit that I needed help, it felt like the pressure I’d put on myself to 'do it all' dissipated. As my body continued to heal, and my hormones began to regulate, I continued to feel stronger and more capable as a mother for
all of our children.
Shawn Johnson East, Jade Roper Tolbert, Tatyana Ali, and Iskra Lawrence sound off.
The Bachelor contestant opens up:
"I just wasn’t okay."
After suffering a traumatic birth experience with her
first son, an activist was born in Ali.
I was going for a paradigm shift [with my second birth]. All-natural, home birth, water birth — all that. And then when it came down to it, I ended up in the hospital and I had an amazing experience. It was completely different — because I had choices.
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Tatyana Ali's Looks
Cover:
White Shirt: Wolford Pure T-shirt, $135
Skirt: Christopher John Rogers Floral-Print Puffball Skirt, $2,655
Necklace: Kholusi Kollection
Gloves: Stylist’s Own
Crown: Stylist’s Own
Inside the Issue:
White Shirt: Wolford Pure T-shirt, $135
Skirt: Christopher John Rogers Floral-Print Puffball Skirt, $2,655
Necklace: Kholusi Kollection
Gloves: Stylist’s Own
Crown: Stylist’s Own
Dress: Mara Hoffman Leonara Dress, $575
Earrings: Stylist’s Own
Makeup & Hair: Chris Gees
Fashion Credits
Shop the Look