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Sarah Michelle Gellar Reveals She Struggled With Postpartum Depression

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Sarah Michelle Gellar put another face to the health care debate.

Joining the celebrities speaking out against the health care plan House Republicans helped move to a Senate vote, the Buffy actress revealed her past struggle with postpartum depression after giving birth to Charlotte Grace Prinze, her 7-year-old daughter with husband Freddie Prinze Jr.

“Having kids is wonderful, and life changing, and rarely what you’re prepared for,” Gellar wrote in a post on Instagram Tuesday. “I love my children more than anything in the world. But like a lot of women, I too struggled with postpartum depression after my first baby was born.”

She continued: “I got help, and made it through, and every day since has been the best gift I could ever have asked for. To those of you going through this, know that you’re not alone and that it really does get better. And if you believe that postpartum depression should be covered by healthcare, please take a moment and go to callmecongress.com today, find your rep’s numbers and let them know.”

Courteney Cox, Bryce Dallas Howard, Brooke Shields, and Drew Barrymore are among those celebrities who’ve spoken out about postpartum depression in the past.

“I had really bad postpartum depression after I had my son, and it frightened me … I didn’t talk to anyone about it. I was very reluctant,” Adele told Vanity Fair in the October cover story interview.

“It’s something, I think, that needs to be talked about, and women need to know that they’re not alone,” Hayden Panettiere said on Live with Kelly and Michael in 2015. She added, “[People] think that it’s not real, that it’s not true, that it’s something that’s made up in their minds. That’s not true. It’s something that’s completely uncontrollable, and it’s really painful and it’s really scary, and women need a lot of support.”

With the American Health Care Act, which passed in the House last week, states would give insurers the option to charge patients higher premiums for pre-existing conditions. Since insurers would be able to determine what is considered a pre-existing condition, postpartum depression could be on the list.

Gellar’s plea to fight Trumpcare comes after Jimmy Kimmel opened up about his son’s congenital heart condition last week. “I’d like to apologize for saying that children in America should have health care. That was insensitive. It was offensive, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me,” the late-night host said sarcastically on Monday night after he found critics characterized him as an “out-of-touch Hollywood elitist creep.”

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