Meghan Markle‘s new podcast is finally here. On Tuesday, Confessions of a Female Founder premiered with an interview with first guest Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder of Bumble and one of Meghan’s friends. During the conversation, Meghan made a surprising reveal about a scary medical situation she’d faced after giving birth to one of her children: postpartum preeclampsia.
Both women had experience with this scary diagnosis.
While chatting on the podcast, Meghan and Whitney talked about their postpartum preeclampsia experiences. This is the first time Meghan has opened up about her diagnosis, though she didn’t share if it happened after her pregnancy with Archie or with Lili.
“It’s so rare and so scary,” she said. “And you’re still trying to juggle all of 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 – mostly for your children – but those things are huge medical scares.”
Postpartum preeclampsia can be life-threatening.
According to Mayo Clinic, postpartum preeclampsia is a condition that typically develops in the first 48 hours after childbirth and is characterized by high blood pressure and excess protein in the urine. Those affected may have symptoms such as severe headaches, shortness of breath, vision changes, and decreased urination.
Though postpartum preeclampsia can be life-threatening, it’s also treatable if you seek medical care right away.
Meghan also opened up about raising kids in a post-pandemic world.
Because Lili was born in June 2021, her first year of life took place at a time when many people were still isolating as COVID-19 vaccines began to roll out. And as Meghan explained on the podcast, the changes that came with it for work culture meant she is now able to work from home while raising her daughter.
“Lili still naps, she gets picked up early and she naps. She only has a half day in preschool. If she wakes up and wants to find me, she knows where to find me, even if my door is closed to the office,” Meghan said on the podcast. “She’ll be sitting there on my lap during one of these meetings with a grid of all the executives. … I wouldn’t have it any other way. I don’t want to miss those moments. I don’t want to miss pickup if I don’t have to. I don’t want to miss drop-off.”
She also said that being a working mom gives her a lot of ‘perspective.’
“What I do love the most about having young kids, in this chapter while I’m building [business], is the perspective that it brings because you’re building something while your child’s going through potty training … and both are just as important,” she said on the podcast.
“It’s like, ‘Great, okay, where’s the Cheerios? Well done.’ And then you’re championing your team 10 minutes later about something that is really high value for the world,” she added. “In your own world, that’s super high value. And in [Lili’s] world, that’s super high value.”
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
