Meghan Markle is *all* new moms when she says, ‘Not many people have asked if I’m okay’

Meghan Markle is opening up about some of the challenges of pregnancy and life as a new mom. While most of us can’t relate to her status as a royal we can totally relate to some of her feelings about motherhood.

Markle was recently interviewed by ITV News at Ten anchor Tom Bradby—and when Bradby asked her how she was doing she kept it real.

“Thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I’m OK, but it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes,” Markle said.

Many moms can relate to this, and it’s something we at Motherly have often commented on. People always ask how the baby is doing, but don’t always think to ask mama how she is. Of course, we want the people around us to care how our babies are doing, but mom needs to be cared for, too.

Bradby pressed on, asking Markle if it would be fair to say she is “not really OK?”

“Yes,” she replied.

The most famous new mom in the world is saying that she is not okay. We applaud her for that because by telling her truth she is no doubt inspiring other mothers to do the same. We don’t have to pretend that motherhood is free from stress and struggle. It is hard, even for someone with the resources Markle has.

The Duchess of Sussex has a lot of financial resources, but she has also been highly scrutinized during her pregnancy and early motherhood, which has added to her stress.

“Any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, you’re really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging,” Markle says. “And then when you have a newborn, you know. And especially as a woman, it’s a lot. So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed. It’s um… yeah. I guess, also thank you for asking because not many people have asked if I’m okay, but it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.”

Media coverage of Markle’s pregnancy and personal life were a factor in Prince Harry releasing a statement on the matter earlier this month.

“My wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences—a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son,” it reads, in part. “There is a human cost to this relentless propaganda, specifically when it is knowingly false and malicious, and though we have continued to put on a brave face—as so many of you can relate to—I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been.”

As Prince Harry suggests, there are certain things about Markle’s struggle that many of us can relate to. Pregnancy and life with a newborn are hard, and trying to pretend you’re okay when you’re not (or as Harry calls it, putting on a brave face) can make it even more stressful.

Here’s to it being okay for a new mom to say she’s not okay.

The rest of Bradby’s interview with Markle (and conversations with Harry) will air during the upcoming ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, this Sunday in the UK. Stateside, the doc will air Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.

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