Aymen Saleem gets real about postpartum depression and identity loss
Pakistani actress Aymen Saleem has candidly opened up about the emotional and physical struggles she faced after becoming a mother, shedding light on postpartum depression, body image issues, isolation and the pressure women silently carry after childbirth.
During a recent interview, the actress spoke honestly about stepping away from acting after getting pregnant with her son Kayhan, revealing that returning to work was never her immediate priority during that phase of life.
According to Aymen Saleem, her son is now one year old, but during pregnancy and early motherhood, she was completely focused on adjusting to the overwhelming emotional and physical changes that came with becoming a parent.
Speaking about postpartum depression, the actress shared that motherhood is often romanticized while the emotional struggles mothers experience are ignored or normalized.
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“When I’m at home feeding my son or playing with him, there are moments when I suddenly start crying because I’m going through postpartum,” she revealed emotionally.
Aymen explained that postpartum depression is not simply about pressure or tiredness, but involves a much deeper emotional battle that includes isolation, body image insecurities, hormonal crashes and a painful sense of identity loss.
“It’s isolation, body unfamiliarity, identity loss… you feel like your career has stopped. No matter how much love you have for your child, ultimately you are the one going through it,” she said.
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The actress further stressed that while people often say “it takes a village to raise a child,” society should instead focus more on supporting mothers emotionally and mentally during that difficult period.
“I really think it takes a village to support a mother,” she added.
Aymen Saleem also sparked discussion online after pointing out how postpartum struggles might have received far more medical attention and urgency if men experienced similar hormonal and emotional changes.
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“The hormonal crash women experience after childbirth is one of the biggest hormonal shifts the human body can go through. If men experienced it, it would probably be treated like a medical emergency,” she said.
She further questioned why postpartum health and emotional recovery are still not discussed seriously enough despite affecting countless women worldwide.
Her honest and vulnerable statements quickly resonated with many women online, with social media users praising the actress for openly discussing a topic that is often considered too personal or rarely addressed publicly in society.