The Wiggles star Lachy Gillespie’s fiancée Dana Stephensen details her struggle with ‘severe postnatal depression and anxiety’ after welcoming their twin daughters Lulu and Lottie
Dana Stephensen has revealed her battle with ‘severe postnatal depression and anxiety’ after welcoming her twin daughters, Lulu and Lottie, last year.
In a post on Instagram on Sunday, the 36-year-old dancer and fiancée of purple Wiggle Lachlan ‘Lachy’ Gillespie detailed her struggle.
‘The reality is for much of this first year, I was not able to cope with managing the girls alone,’ she wrote in a lengthy post.
Struggling: Dana Stephensen has revealed her battle with ‘severe postnatal depression and anxiety’ after welcoming her twin daughters, Lulu and Lottie, last year
‘People close to me will say I coped extremely well under unprecedented circumstances, but my internal experience felt like one of failure.
‘The unique challenges of twins were so overwhelming, the sleep deprivation so intense, the physical and emotional toll of tandem breastfeeding was beyond exhausting.’
She added: ‘Very early on I was diagnosed with severe postnatal depression and anxiety.’
Candid: In a post on Instagram on Sunday, the 36-year-old dancer and fiancée of purple Wiggle Lachlan ‘Lachy’ Gillespie (left) detailed her struggle
‘The reality is for much of this first year, I was not able to cope with managing the girls alone,’ she wrote in a lengthy post
Dana went on to speak about ‘the guilt and shame that comes with feeling these truly awful feelings when it “should” be the happiest time of your life’.
She thanked Lachy, 36, for capturing her with their one-year-old daughters in photos so that she could be reminded of the ‘happier moments’.
‘I look back and remember happier moments amongst the struggles,’ she wrote.
Young family: In addition to Lulu and Lottie, Dana is also mum to a six-year-old son, Jasper (centre), from a previous relationship
‘I’m grateful for the photos Lachy took of me with the girls to remind me that I was there every moment with them, doing my best and loving them and caring for them through it all and on half an hour’s sleep.’
In addition to Lulu and Lottie, Dana is also mum to a six-year-old son, Jasper, from a previous relationship.
Dana added that her mum, Glenva, ‘flew into multiple lockdowns to help us and truly saved me’, describing her as ‘a second mum’ to her kids.
Keeping mum: Dana added that her mum, Glenva (pictured), ‘flew into multiple lockdowns to help us and truly saved me’, describing her as ‘a second mum’ to her kids
‘The constant choosing between twins as a mother is so counterintuitive it breaks your heart every single time, it still does,’ she wrote.
‘But tonight at bedtime when all they want is Mummy and it’s only me, I could actually trust that I could handle it.
‘There are still more tears than I would like, my heart still races. My nerves on edge. But I manage.’
‘I’m grateful for the photos Lachy took of me with the girls to remind me that I was there every moment with them, doing my best and loving them and caring for them through it all and on half an hour’s sleep,’ she wrote