Meghan Markle’s postpartum journey wasn’t without its challenges.
The Duchess of Sussex, who shares Prince Archie, 5 or Princess Lilibet, 3 with Prince Harry, recently revealed that after giving birth to one of her children—though she didn’t specify which—she had to navigate a difficult health scare.
While in conversation with friend Whitney Wolfe Herd during the first episode of her new podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, Meghan and the Bumble founder commiserated over similar postpartum scares.
“We both had very similar experiences—though we didn’t know each other at the time—with postpartum,” Meghan explained. “We both had preeclampsia. Postpartum preeclampsia.”
The condition can occur up to six weeks after giving birth, per the Cleveland Clinic, and can cause high blood pressure among other challenges. The condition, if left untreated, can lead to brain damage, stroke and death.
“It’s so rare, and so scary,” Meghan added. “And you’re still trying to juggle all these things, and the world doesn’t know what’s happening quietly. And in the quiet you’re still trying to show up for people. In the quiet you’re still trying to show up, mostly for your children. But those things are huge medical scares.”
