Meghan Markle is already getting candid on her new podcast, “Confessions of a Female Founder.”
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, opened up about her “scary” experience with postpartum preeclampsia during the first episode of her new series featuring guest Whitney Wolfe Herd. During the episode, Meghan noted that both she and Herd — the founder and CEO of Bumble — went through a similar experience after giving birth.
“We both had very similar experiences [though] we didn’t know each other at the time, with postpartum,” Meghan shared on the Tuesday, April 8, episode of “Confessions.”
She added, “And we both had preeclampsia. Postpartum preeclampsia. It’s so rare and so scary.”
Meghan, who shares son Prince Archie, 5, and daughter Princess Lilibet, 3, with husband Prince Harry, detailed her struggles with juggling her various responsibilities while dealing with her post-pregnancy medical issues.
“And you go … and you’re still trying to juggle all of these things, and the world doesn’t know what’s happening quietly,” Meghan said. “And in the quiet, you’re still trying to show up for people. And in the quiet, you’re still just trying to show up mostly for your children. But those things are huge medical scares.”
“I mean, life or death, truly. It’s like really scary,” Herd, 35, agreed.
According to the Mayo Clinic, postpartum preeclampsia occurs when one experiences high blood pressure and excess protein in their urine after childbirth. The condition usually develops within 48 hours of giving birth and can lead to seizures and other complications if it isn’t promptly treated.
On Tuesday’s podcast, Meghan also talked about managing her workload as the CEO and founder of her own lifestyle company, As Ever, while being a wife and mother. She credited her “solid family network” and “girlfriends that can fill up the cup” with helping her navigate the challenges of launching her business.
The duchess revealed that she usually works from her home office and often has her 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,” Meghan 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.”