Danielle Brooks Reflects on Dealing with Postpartum Depression

Danielle Brooks is opening up about her experience with motherhood and mental health.

The 30-year-old Orange Is the New Black actress, who welcomed her first child Freeya with Dennis Gelin in November 2020, spoke with Parents about the pressures of “bounding back” after having a baby.

“I gained a lot of weight during my pregnancy, and I think I did go through postpartum depression,” she said. “I was trying to stay positive when it felt like my whole world had flipped upside down. Creating a human takes a toll on women’s bodies. 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,” she continued.

Danielle explained that her focus has shifted from eating and exercising to lose weight to staying healthy and living a happier life.

“If I want to continue to live a life full of abundance, I have to plant those seeds now,” she said. “I bought roller skates and a personal trampoline. Freeya will jump up and down, imitating me. I find peace by taking walks with Freeya too. I try to incorporate her into things that bring me joy and calmness. And I really like the advice to ‘talk to yourself as if you are your best friend.’”

Danielle also added she still hasn’t decided whether she wants to have more children or not.

“Right now, I’m getting to the part where I’m okay with shedding that old skin and discovering somebody new,” she says. “Once I feel a bit more whole and not like a machine that is being put back together, then I might consider it.”

It was recently announced that Danielle had joined the star-studded cast of The Piano Lesson on Broadway!