Adwoa Aboah has described the emotional weight of new motherhood, revealing that the postpartum period left her feeling like she was “drowning.”
The British supermodel-turned-actress welcomed her first child, daughter Shy Trinity Afua, with partner and American skateboarder Daniel Wheatley last August via emergency caesarean section.
Announcing the birth at the time, she wrote on Instagram that their “hearts have literally exploded into a million pieces.”
Now, speaking as The London Standard’s latest cover star, Aboah has shared a raw and honest account of the challenges she’s faced since becoming a mother, particularly the identity shift she experienced after she stopped breastfeeding her baby two months ago.
Reflecting on the transition, she told journalist Olive Pometsey: “It kind of feels like drowning,” as she opened up about the intense pressures of early motherhood, adding, “Postpartum is no joke.”
“We can never really do anything right,” she continued. “Like, you choose not to have a baby, that’s weird. You choose not to have a partner, that’s weird. You’re a stay at home mum, that’s weird. A working mum, that’s weird. It’s just endless.”
The Top Boy star also spoke about the financial and emotional pressures of being the “breadwinner” in her family.
“I’ve got a mortgage to pay off and I’m self-employed. There’s no one paying for my maternity [leave]. I have to work,” she said.
“And I’m in an industry that’s fast — there’s this idea that’s ingrained in me that I have to make the most of my time, because before you know it, you’re over.”
Known for her work as an advocate for mental health and gender equality, Aboah said motherhood has only strengthened her belief in the power and resilience of women.
“I’m now even more adamant about how superior women are,” she said. “I cannot believe what we’re capable of doing — the resilience, the pressure we take on, the way our lives change. The single mothers who are working 10million jobs… it’s just mad.”
Read the full interview in The London Standard, available for free pick-up across the city from Thursday.
