‘I crashed’: Latto gets real on postpartum depression after having her daughter, and why she’s walking back retirement talk
TheGrio...
The Atlanta rapper recently welcomed her first child into the world and says her baby girl makes her feel fulfilled, even though depressive moments kicked in shortly after she gave birth.
Latto is embracing motherhood while reflecting on moments when the postpartum period made her reconsider things.
In her first interview since giving birth, the Atlanta rapper explained to Apple Music’s Nadeska Alexis how a thought about her leaving her career behind made her realize that postpartum depression was a serious thing.
“That was definitely not one of the good days,” Latto admitted around the 15-minute mark. “Especially experiencing postpartum for the first time. You don’t know what to expect. I kinda underestimated it.”
Latto chalked up the moment to being overwhelmed in preparing for her “Big Mama” album. The reality behind the statement from the Atlanta rapper is that her fourth studio effort for her longtime label home, RCA Records, is the last one of her contract, making her a soon-to-be free agent. Even with the admission, Latto wouldn’t fully commit to saying goodbye to rapping as she did in one of her final maternity videos.
“I wouldn’t say I’m retiring today,” she said. “Talk to me next week again, I might say, ‘No, that sh-t was for real.’ So, I don’t know. I’m going through it. I crashed. It is what it is.”
Postpartum depression, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is a type of depression that happens after having a baby, affecting up to 1 in 7 women. Symptoms include “emotional highs and lows, frequent crying, or feeling worthless.”
Having her baby girl, Latto says, has given her even more focus to take care of herself, and that there was no avoiding this phase of the childbirth experience.
“I can confidently say, no amount of money, help, or anything can avoid postpartum depression,” she said. “It’s just it’s inevitable. And I think, ’cause I have help, everything’s good. But it’s just some days that are not good.”
After apologizing to fans and walking back her tweet, saying she’s not going to head to social media when she has a depressive episode, Latto revealed that although she was grateful to sit down and appreciate being a first-time mother, she’s not slowing down career-wise, and her baby girl will be by her side every step of the way.
“I don’t want to put everything about me to the side because I’m a mom now,” she said with assurance. “I got to still cater to me if I want to be able to show up for her. So, it’s like these are the things that make me happy. These are the things that provide for her … I gotta keep this ship sailing as long as I want to. I rediscovered my passion for music so I’m not going to stop now.”