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In February, Mandy Moore and her husband Taylor Goldsmith welcomed their first child, a baby boy named August. In a conversation on Instagram live with licensed psychologist and perinatal mental health specialist, Dr. Ashurina Ream, the actress has admitted the experience was isolating at times.
“I had these preconceived notions of myself going into motherhood,” Moore said. “Obviously, I knew it was going to be challenging, but I thought, ‘Oh, I maybe have this sort of naturally maternal side,’ whatever the heck that means. But I guess I just didn’t really recognise the worries, the fears, the sense of responsibility that is so ever-present moving forward once you become a mom.”
She continued, “I guess when I imagined motherhood, I sort of imagined like, oh, you find community… and you go to Mommy-and-Me classes and baby classes.”
The This Is Us star also noted the ongoing pandemic, saying she wasn’t comfortable going out and about at this time (cases are surging in the US).
“And I’m sure that’s a reality for some people in different parts of the country,” she continued. “But I don’t know if it’s something that I would feel necessarily the most comfortable with at this point in time, just considering what we’re kind of living through.”
As additional support for her son stopped after three months, she described not feeling good enough but was forced to “reframe” her expectations on being a mother. She ended the conversation on a positive note.
“I know nothing, but I’m still here putting myself through the paces of just stopping and breathing through it,” she said. “Recognising that I’m best when I trust my own instincts, remembering that everything is a phase.”
Here’s to more women breaking the stigmas around motherhood. Moore follows Jessica Alba who recently admitted she quit acting to focus on her children.
