ANNE-MARIE has opened up on feeling “mad” after giving birth.
also confessed she was too scared to ask for help as she was frightened people would think she was a “.”
Anne-Marie has opened up on her struggle with postnatal depressionCredit: tiktok/@madsadbadpodcast
She told Paloma Faith she “didn’t have the natural motherly instinct”Credit: tiktok/@madsadbadpodcast
Speaking on a recent episode of Mad, Sad & Bad with , the , who has two children with her husband, rapper , also revealed she “grinned and bared” her struggles for 12 months.
The star, who is mum to a , born in February 2024, and a , who arrived in May 2025, was asked by 44-year-old Paloma: “You’re five months postpartum, do you feel mad sometimes?”
To this, Anne-Marie discussed her struggle with and simply confirmed: “Yeah.”
The ‘Ciao Adios’ singer then added: “I think with my first, I didn’t know what I was doing, so I was like, I don’t know how to be a mum.
“I thought it would just come because everyone tells you that, and I was like, I know it hasn’t come to me, so what do I do?
“I didn’t want to ask anyone for help or tell anyone that because I didn’t want them to think that I couldn’t do it and I was a bad mum or I didn’t have the or the motherly thing.
“I just grinned and bared it for a year.”
Following this, the , who recently sent fans wild with her song ‘Depressed,’ touched on her “struggles” and the changes had on her .
The mum-of-two acknowledged: “I definitely have struggled and then obviously got pregnant as I was , so didn’t have a chance to stop.
“[My] body started changing again and my belly came out so quick.”
I didn’t want to ask anyone for help or tell anyone that because I didn’t want them to think that I couldn’t do it and I was a bad mum
Anne-Marie
On top of this, Anne-Marie also recognised that whilst carrying her second child, she dealt with – a high blood sugar that develops during pregnancy.
But that wasn’t all, as she continued: “Got gestational diabetes, I needed iron tablets, I was anaemic – oh my god, I had everything.”
The Birth Trauma Inquiry
Around one in four women experience mental health problems in pregnancy and during the 24 months after giving birth says the NHS.
An inquiry into birth trauma hopes to see a National Maternity Improvement Strategy led by a new Maternity Commissioner in government to outline improvements, these include;
- Recruit, train and retain more midwives, obstetricians and anaesthetists
- Provide universal access to specialist maternal mental health services across the UK
- Offer a separate 6-week check post-delivery with a GP for all mothers
- Roll out and implement OASI (obstetric and anal sphincter injury) care bundle to all hospital trusts to reduce risk of injuries in childbirth
- Oversee the national rollout of standardised post birth services, such as Birth Reflections, to give all mothers a safe space to speak about their experiences in childbirth
- Ensure better education for women on birth choices
- Respect mothers’ choices about giving birth and access to pain relief and keep mothers together with their baby as much as possible
- Provide support for fathers and ensure nominated birth partner is continuously informed and updated during labour and post-delivery
- Provide better continuity of care and digitise mother’s health records to improve communication between primary and secondary health care pathways
- Extend the time limit for medical negligence litigation relating to childbirth from three years to five years
- Commit to tackling inequalities in maternity care among ethnic minorities, particularly Black and Asian women
- NIHR to commission research on the economic impact of birth trauma and injuries, including factors such as women delaying returning to work
If you are struggling post-birth you can contact Association for Post Natal Illness (APNI) – helpline on 020 7386 0868
However, despite her initial struggles with her daughter Seven, Anne-Marie recognised that things were slightly different by the time Forever Sugar was born.
She gushed: “He came and weirdly, because I’d done it before, it was like he’s healing me along his life because he’s making me feel like I can do it.
“And also I’ve asked for help this time.”
Anne-Marie is mum to a daughter named Seven and a son named Forever SugarCredit: Instagram
The singer also shared the health issues she experienced when she was carrying her second childCredit: Instagram
Parents praised the star’s honestyCredit: Instagram
Parents react
The clip, which was posted on the official @ madsadbadpodcast , account on has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 37,300 views in just 16 hours.
Many parents were thankful for Anne-Marie’s honesty and described her as “amazing” for being so open about her experience.
Totally get this, my first was a traumatic birth and I honestly thought I was broken because I didn’t get the maternal feeling
TikTok user
One person said: “I love that these conversations are being had, it’s so important to talk openly.”
Another added: “These conversations are so important, how amazing of her to share.”
A third commented: “I’ve had four children and due to all being I never got the instant love like people tell you.”
Meanwhile, someone else chimed in: “Totally get this, my first was a traumatic birth and I honestly thought I was broken because I didn’t get the maternal feeling, I actually think I had mild postnatal .”
Many were thankful for the “important” conversationCredit: Instagram/annemarie
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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