Meghan Markle Opens up About ‘Huge Medical Scare’ After Childbirth: ‘It’s So Rare...’

Meghan Markle is mom to two beautiful children— son Archie and daughter Lilibet. The former American actress recently opened up about a ‘huge medical scare’ following the birth of one of her children. On her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, Markle revealed to Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd that she experienced postpartum preeclampsia.

The Duchess of Sussex’s podcast, which premiered last week on April 8, focuses on the challenges and journeys of women entrepreneurs. For her debut episode, Markle and Herd discussed their experiences with pregnancy and the health complications they underwent after delivery. As reported by Metro UK, Markle revealed, “We both had very similar experiences — though we didn't know each other at the time — with postpartum, and we both had preeclampsia.” Opening up about the ‘huge medical’ scare, she added, “It’s so rare, and it's so scary. I think for many mothers, especially in the early postpartum period, there's this immense desire to keep going, to be there for everyone else.”

Markle, however, did not reveal whether it happened with Archie's birth or Lilibet's. According to the charity, the Preeclampsia Foundation, postpartum pre-eclampsia is a serious condition where a mother has high blood pressure within the first seven days of a birth, and is at risk up to six weeks after delivery. Symptoms of the medical condition include severe headaches, vision problems, vomiting, and swelling in the hands, face, and legs.

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Herd also opened up about her journey with the medical condition in the podcast. She told Markle, “I remember after you delivered Archie, and the whole world was waiting for his debut. I was just becoming a new mum, and I was like, oh my god, how is this woman doing this? I could barely face a doorbell delivery for takeout food.” Following their heartfelt discussion on postpartum struggles, the two women also opened up about bullying. As reported by Page Six, Markle, who left the UK to escape the bullying from the British Press, told listeners, “No matter whatever scale you’re at, there’s gonna be a point where you’re gonna take a hit. And there’s gonna be a point where you have to decide whether you’re going to cower or conquer and rise above it.”

Markle tragically is also known to have suffered a miscarriage. In a 2020 piece for The New York Times, titled The Losses We Share, she described the moment she felt a 'sharp cramp' while holding Archie. She wrote, "I dropped to the floor with him in my arms, humming a lullaby to keep us both calm, the cheerful tune a stark contrast to my sense that something was not right.”