Actress Hayden Panetierre Opens Up About Her Struggle With Post-Natal Depression

Nashville actress Hayden Panettiere has opened up about her struggle with post-partum depression after the birth of her daughter.

Speaking on chat show, Live With Kelly And Michael, the actress spoke about the similarities between herself and her character on hit show, Nashville – they have both experienced post-partum depression.

"I suffered a bit of postpartum depression. You're not alone or crazy, ladies!" said the 26-year-old who recently welcomed baby Kaya with fiance, Wladamir Klitschko.

“I can very much relate. It’s something a lot of women experience,” said Panettiere, “When [you’re told] about postpartum depression you think it’s, ‘I feel negative feelings towards my child, I want to injure or hurt my child’ — I’ve never, ever had those feelings. Some women do. But you don’t realize how broad of a spectrum you can really experience that on.”

“It’s something that needs to be talked about. Women need to know that they’re not alone, and that it does heal,” said the actress.

“There’s a lot of misunderstanding — there’s a lot of people out there that think that it’s not real, that it’s not true, that it’s something that’s made up in their minds, that ‘Oh, it’s hormones’,” she continued.

“They brush it off. It’s something that’s completely uncontrollable. It’s really painful and it’s really scary and women need a lot of support.”

Hayden welcomed baby Kaya Evdokia with fiance, Ukranian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, in December 2014.