Meghan Markle is opening up about the “rare” and “scary” condition she suffered postpartum.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, shared her experience with postpartum preeclampsia during the first episode of her new podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, released Tuesday.
Speaking with Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd, Meghan noted that they had both had similar birth experiences, saying, “We both had preeclampsia. Postpartum preeclampsia. It’s so rare and so scary.”
Postpartum preeclampsia is a rare condition that occurs when high blood pressure and excess protein in the urine develop soon after childbirth, according to the Mayo Clinic. The condition requires prompt treatment, as it can cause seizures and other serious complications.
Meghan, who is mother to son Prince Archie, 5, and daughter Princess Lilibet, 3, with husband Prince Harry, said it was difficult to “juggle” everything that comes with being a new mother while also struggling with her health.
“And you go … and you’re still trying to juggle all of these things, and the world doesn’t know what’s happening quietly,” she said. “And in the quiet, you’re still trying to show up for people. But those things are huge medical scares.”
Wolfe Herd, 35, agreed, “I mean, life or death, truly. It’s like really scary.”
She also praised the royal for the public-facing duties Meghan carried out following the birth of her first child. “I mean, I’ll never forget the image of you after you delivered Archie, and the whole world was waiting for his debut,” Wolfe Herd recalled. “I was either just becoming or about to become a new mom, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, how is this woman doing this? How is this woman putting on heels and going and debuting a child in this, you know, beautiful outfit in front of the entire world?’”
She joked, “I could barely face a doorbell delivery for takeout food in a robe,” earning a laugh from Meghan.
The As Ever founder and CEO also spoke about balancing her time as a wife, mother and entrepreneur on Tuesday’s podcast, revealing that she usually works from home and often has daughter Lilibet on calls with her.
“Lili still naps. She gets picked up early, and she naps … she only has a half day in preschool,” she explained. “So if she wakes up and she wants to find me, she knows where to find me. Even if my door is closed to the office. She will be sitting there on my lap during one of these meetings with a grid of all the executives. And here we are.”