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“Bachelor” alum Krystal Nielson welcomed her first child in March, and is sharing some struggles she’s experiencing as a new mother.
Nielson, who shares daughter Andara with boyfriend Miles Bowles in March, opened up in an Instagram post she shared earlier in the week.
“The past few weeks have been rough,” she wrote in the caption, accompanying a photo of herself and her 3-month-old daughter.
“If you saw my stories last week you’d know that I was in and out of doctors appointments to try and figure out what was going on with my eyes. My vision was blurry, my eyes were insanely scratchy/ itchy, bloodshot and non-stop weeping,” continued Nielson, who appeared in the 22nd season of “The Bachelor” and subsequently went on to “Bachelor in Paradise”.
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“Five doctors later, it turns out it was a chemical exposure from getting my hair done. It was defeating, upsetting and from pushing off big projects to drastically affected my milk supply, it impacted my life in every way. While it was a total accident, I can’t help but feel soooooo extremely upset,” Nielson wrote.
Nielson also admitted she was struggling even before the chemical exposure. “What I didn’t share as openly was the 10ish days before that incident- when I felt a major drop in my hormones and the overwhelming wave of ‘figuring out this new life and new version of me’ kicked in, hard,” she wrote. “The struggles have been ‘oh-so-real’ and while I love my family and being a mommy- it’s f—ing hard,” she diuvulged.
“I’ve realized the first step in making changes is acknowledging where you are and asking for help. So I want to let you all know- Moms, especially new moms, NEED help. We may put on makeup and a brave face but there are very real hormonal changes happening in our bodies. There is a confusing cocktail of mourning the freedom we no longer have while discovering that layers and complexities of this new role and identity,” Nielson added.
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“While I wouldn’t say I’m experiencing ‘postpartum depression’ yet… if I continue on without asking for help, support and most importantly sharing what’s on my heart, it will most certainly become that,” Nielsen concluded. “So please check in on your mom friends or drop a #momtip below. We moms need to stick together. ?”
Fellow mom/Bachelor Nation star Lauren Burnham Luyendyk shared her support in a comment.
“You’re not alone❤️” Burnham Luyendyk wrote. “Becoming a mom for the first time is especially hard at times. Even if you don’t feel like it, you’re doing an amazing job and you will figure it all out with time. Proud of you!”