Carrie Bickmore has opened up about seeing a psychologist while pregnant with daughter Evie, four.
The 38-year-old appeared on The Weekly With Charlie Pickering on Wednesday, when she spoke about how she sought professional help because she terrified to give birth to her daughter.
Carrie explained that after almost dying welcoming her firstborn, son Oliver, 11, she had wanted to talk to someone to ease her concerns.
Candid: Carrie Bickmore talked seeing a psychologist while pregnant with daughter Evie, four, on Wednesday, after she nearly died after welcoming son Ollie, 11
The admission came after she said she wanted to be open about her family’s struggles with mental illness, noting she has had anxiety and her partner Chris Walker has OCD.
‘We don’t spend a lot of time talking about it, I think,’ Carrie began.
‘That’s what we have and we both openly see, I saw psychologists when I was pregnant with Evie as I had this real fear of giving birth to Evie because I nearly died after I gave birth to Ollie.’
Honest: The admission came after she spoke about having anxiety and her partner Chris Walker (pictured) having OCD, and how they want to be open with their struggles with mental illness in their family
Scary: ‘That’s what we have and we both openly see, I saw psychologists when I was pregnant with Evie as I had this real fear of giving birth to Evie because I nearly died after I gave birth to Ollie,’ Carrie said on Wednesday
‘Both of those things are a part of our life. We don’t take special time to talk about as if it’s a strange thing or a thing to be ashamed of or anything, it’s who we are,’ she said, saying there should not be a stigma towards mental illness.
Back in 2017, Carrie said she had counselling to prepare for Evie’s birth, after being left so ‘traumatised’ after giving birth to Ollie.
Talking on her Hit Network radio show at the time, the blonde said: ‘Giving birth is a full on thing, it’s beautiful, it’s special, but it’s also traumatic,’ she said. ‘It’s painful, I would have done anything to have the experience erased from my mind.’
She added: ‘They say you forget and that’s why you go back again. I never forgot. The funniest part, it’s hard to get your head around what actually happens.’
‘A big thing comes out of a very small place,’ she said.
She told Marie Claire in 2016 that she had a severe haemorrhage 10 days after welcoming Oliver.
‘I had a severe haemorrhage 10 days after the birth of my son Oliver,’ she said.
‘If had I not been able to head straight to a hospital and have an operation and blood transfusions, I would have died.’
Family: Carrie and partner Chris Walker share daughter Evie, four, together, and newborn daughter Adelaide, six months, while Carrie also has son Oliver, 11, with late husband, Greg Lange
Carrie and partner Chris Walker share daughter Evie, four, together, and newborn daughter Adelaide, six months, while Carrie also has son Oliver, 11, with late husband, Greg Lange.
She recently penned a post for Stellar, saying she struggled so much after Adelaide’s birth in December that she thought she had postnatal depression.
She wrote: ‘It’s been one of the most challenging periods of my parenting life. I realise now I had it pretty easy during the newborn phase with my other two kids.’
Tough times: She recently penned a post for Stellar , saying she struggled so much after Adelaide’s birth in December that she thought she had postnatal depression (seen with Adelaide)
Adelaide suffered from reflux and needed to be held constantly, the TV host revealed.
The lack of sleep led to a breakdown when Carrie’s partner Chris Walker was away on holiday with her oldest child, Ollie, 11.
Carrie writes she ‘felt trapped’ and found herself texting Chris multiple times in the early hours of the morning.
‘I’m really struggling… I can’t do this on my own tonight, I’m worried I may be getting postnatal depression,’ she wrote in her desperate messages.
For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14.
It’s not easy! Carrie writes she ‘felt trapped’ and found herself texting Chris multiple times in the early hours of the morning