Eliza Taylor, you may remember her from The 100 as Clarke Griffin, the bold and daring leader for seven seasons. Or you may recall her in NBC's Quantum Leap reboot as the scientist Hannah Carson, who held the equation to bring Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) and found a relishing love with him. While both roles peaked her American career to new levels, her best role came on March 12th, 2022, when she became a mother for the first time with her son, Henry, whom she shares with her The 100 co-star, Bob Morley.
While Eliza loves being a mother to a playful and curious two-year-old, she admitted that she went through a dark period following his birth, revealed to be postpartum depression, and it extended for an entire year. According to the Mayo Clinic, postpartum depression occurs after childbirth. It can last for a few weeks, but there have been multiple cases where the disorder has stretched further and has symptoms familiar with chronic or clinical depression.
Experiencing postpartum depression doesn't make you a bad mother; it simply means that a significant shift of hormones occurs, and nearly every new mother will experience it in some formulation. Cases can range from mild to severe, and coping with postpartum can feel like a bubble as one can feel guilty, coupled with the fear of not being the perfect mother to the child.
Eliza Taylor shares her postpartum depression story with Tommy DiDario
While being a guest (and Bob) on Tommy DiDario's iHeart podcast on July 9th, I've Never Said This Before, Eliza opened up about her journey with postpartum depression, getting down into detail what it entailed and her hopes to help other mothers who are going through the same thing. Her words are nothing but inspiring, strong, and genuine.
As the title is I've Never Said This Before, guests think of topics they'd like to share with listeners. Some might be casual conversations or the deep, emotional stuff. Both Eliza and Bob chose to speak on mental health, and with so much circulating on the subject, their voices bring awareness and hope.
For The 100 actress, addressing something private such as postpartum depression was a "scary idea." Still, once she revealed her truth, Eliza realized she could reach out, as she had with me when I shared my truth about my own mental struggles regarding my body and weight.
It's kind of a scary idea to say something that I've never said before. But the first thing that came to mind for me was the fact that I've never talked about postpartum depression."
Eliza then reflected on how her postpartum lasted for a year, but at first, she didn't know she had it, so naturally, she could find the source of what was wrong or even seek guidance on how to cope with it. It's not uncommon for those who experience postpartum or even non-postpartum depression to have these emotions, but the more we can express what's going on, the more we can receive help and support.
"After Henry was born, I had a really dark year. The insidious and bizarre thing about postpartum is that you, well, for me anyway, I really didn't realize that I had it. So I didn't know what was wrong with me."
Asking for help was challenging, but Eliza didn't allow her feelings to get in the way of caring for Henry. At the same time, she felt like she had lost her identity as a person. Let it be known that Eliza is a very caring, down-to-earth, and sensitive individual and puts others first.
"I didn't know how to ask for help. And there's so much stigma about postpartum, which is kind of infuriating because it didn't make me a bad mother," she shared. "It made me just a shell of myself."
"I could mother, I could look after Henry efficiently. But once he'd go to bed or when I was alone, it got really dark. It got really dark for me in the way that I didn't know who I was anymore."
Once she relocated back home to Australia to be with family as Bob was working, Eliza was still coping with postpartum and still felt alone. The good news is that the disorder began to crumble away, and Eliza started to feel like her old self again.
"I didn't feel like myself. I was just kind of moving through life feeling numb, and it lasted a whole year. It wasn't until we moved back to Australia and Bob was working on Love Me and In Limbo."
"So we moved back to be close to him but also to have family around. But it was just bizarre that we were, you know, I was here. I was with my beautiful baby, surrounded by my parents and my parents-in-law and aunties and uncles and brothers and sisters, and I felt so completely alone."
Eliza affirms that others who share the postpartum fight are not alone and with the wonderful and innovative tool Zoom. A new mother could instantly "connect" with other moms by chatting and contributing to their parenting experiences. Furthermore, resources such as NAMI and postpartumdepression.org offer information to guide through the darkness and seek the light.
"I just wanted to put that out there and talk about that because, you know, if there is anyone listening who feels that way, there is help out there," the actress advises. "There are so many resources. There are so many free communities on Zoom, online, for postpartum and just, even if you don't know if that's what you have, just jump into a mother's group or something where you can connect with other moms who are going through the same thing because I wish I'd done it sooner."
Along with Zoom, Eliza opened her heart to give help, since she doesn't want anyone else to go through what she had gone through. Even if it's one one person or a hundred, then it's one of the biggest achievements one could accomplish, and an act of kindness and love can stretch infinite miles.
"I wish that I had just stopped and checked in with my body and said, 'Oh, I'm really struggling,'' and if this can help some other mom out there, even DM me. You shouldn't be going through this alone. I want to help.'"
Bless you Eliza.
To hear more of Bob and Eliza's interview with Tommy Didario, check out the entire podcast here.