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Rachel Platten Shares Her ‘Incredibly Painful’ Postpartum Battle

Rachel Platten is a fighter. Her hit song Fight Song from 2015 inspired scores of listeners with its message about self-empowerment, and she very likely hummed it a time or two during the first six months of daughter Sophie’s life. In a heartfelt message on Instagram, Platten recently posted about the postpartum depression she experienced following Sophie’s birth. She referred “an incredibly painful battle with my mental health, long days that felt impossible and tears that wouldn’t stop coming and nights that felt never ending when my poor scared body wouldn’t let me sleep.” Girl, yes.

“Sophie is 6 months old today. Wow,” she writes. “I tried every tool possible, even ones i was previously scared of, and finally now im feeling consistent joy, ease, power and real hope again. Actually f that it’s not even hope, it’s bigger. It’s a KNOWING. i know my strength. I know my worth. I know who I am and i love myself. Not because of what I achieve or how i look or external stuff anymore. I love this human life underneath all of those labels.”

Platten, 40, announced the news of the Sept. 9 birth on Instgram, sharing the first photos of her and husband Kevin Lazan’s newborn daughter, Sophie Jo. This is Platten’s second time becoming a mother. Big sister Violet Skye was born in January 2019. Last year, Platten released a children’s book called You Belong which “explores the myriad of emotions expectant parents experience… The dreamy illustrations capture the magic and wonder a parent has for their precious one before they arrive, and the person they envision as they grow up in the world.”

On her most recent post, Platten talks about acceptance. “I know all my insecurities and weaknesses and all my glorious sunny parts too and i welcome them all. That is where my true power has always come.” She continues, “But mostly, i just want to reach a hand back into the darkness if any of you reading this are still there💔. I promise, It’s possible for you to feel joy again. I’m here as an example that you can do this. You can be your own hero and you can learn to love all of you and i believe in you.”

 

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