The president of the United States’ eldest daughter and senior adviser, Ivanka Trump, has revealed that she struggled with post-natal depression after the births of her three children.
During an interview with Mehmet Oz, better known as Dr Oz, Ivanka described the period after the birth of each of her three children as a “very challenging emotional time.”
“I felt like I was not living up to my potential as a parent or as an entrepreneur and executive,” she said during the interview.
WATCH Ivanka Trump’s youngest son crawls through the White House. Article continues after video…
Ivanka, 35, has three children with her husband, Jared Kushner, 36: Arabella, six, Joseph, three, and Theodore, one. Ivanka famously returned to work within days of her third pregnancy.
“I consider myself a very hard-charging person. I am ambitious. I am passionate. I am driven,” she said.
“But [post-natal depression] is something that affects parents all over the country.”
In Australia, post-natal depression affects 1 in 7 mothers and 1 in 10 fathers and in America, according to research from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention 1 in 9 women experience post-natal depression.
During the interview, Ivanka also discussed her efforts to improve the lives of working women. She has made reducing the cost of childcare a priority and was applauded for influencing the President’s plan to guarantee six weeks of paid maternity leave.
On the surface this all sounds very positive for entrepreneur and business woman, and the women of America, however, we are very curious about the timing of Ivanka’s interview and her choice to share this particular information now.
You see, while Ivanka says that she too, like many Americans, has suffered from an often debilitating psychological condition, her father is urging Senate Republicans to dismantle the Affordable Health Care Act meaning millions of people would risk losing their health care, including women who would lose access to the mental health care services that treat post-natal depression.
Nothing this family does is off the cuff, except for President Trump’s tweets. This interview would have been planned – and very strategically at that. So while we’re not calling Ivanka’s post-natal depression “fake news“, we are suspicious of the timing. Is this interview a pleasant distraction for the worrisome conversations about healthcare currently happening in the background at the White House? Quite possibly. Or are the Trump’s, who will always have access to the very best medical treatment, actually just that ignorant? Also, quite possible.
If you, or someone you know, is going through post-natal depression, or would like to learn more about it, contact Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA) on 1300 726 306 or visit their website: www.panda.org.au.
H/T The Washington Post
