First daughter Ivanka Trump shared in an interview for “The Dr. Oz Show” this week that she grappled with postpartum depression after the births of her children.
Speaking to Mehmet Oz, better known as Dr. Oz, on Monday, Trump described the “very challenging and emotional” time that followed the births of 6-year-old Arabella, 3-year-old Joseph, and 1-year-old Theodore.
“I felt like I was not living up to my potential as a parent or as an entrepreneur and executive,” Trump said in the interview. “I had such easy pregnancies that in some ways the juxtaposition hit me even harder.”
About one in nine American women experience postpartum depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms include sadness, anxiety and anger, withdrawing from loved ones and feeling disconnected from your baby.
Explaining why she’d decided to open up about her personal struggles with the illness, the 35-year-old told Oz she felt it was an “incredibly important” issue to bring to light.
“I consider myself a very hard-charging person. I am ambitious. I am passionate. I am driven. But this is something that affects parents all over the country,” she said.
Trump’s interview with Oz, which covered other topics including her role in the White House, her views on the gender pay gap, and her love of meditation, will air Thursday.