Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins Talk Experience with Postpartum Depression: 'Felt Like a Hopeless Place'

The couple co-hosted the June 13 episode of Akins' podcast 'Live in Love'

Thomas Rhett, Lauren Akins
Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins. Photo: Taylor Hill/Getty

Thomas Rhett and his wife Lauren Akins are opening up about their experience with postpartum depression.

The couple, both 33, co-hosted a recent episode of Akins' podcast Live in Love and went into detail about Akins' diagnosis of postpartum depression. "After Ada James, our marriage had a falling apart," Akins shared.

"After Lennon, the world had a falling apart," she then said of the COVID pandemic. "After Lillie, I had a falling apart."

"After Lillie, I do remember it was scary for me and there's not many people you can talk to about that because you don't want it to sound like you're gossiping behind your wife's back," Thomas Rhett explained. "It's not like you want to call a buddy and be like, 'Hey, my wife is acting super strange.'"

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"Lifeless is not the right word, but along the lines of dull," the country singer continued. "It felt like a hopeless place for me."

"In the back of my mind, I was like, 'This is not normal,'" Akins revealed. "I have experienced birthing children before and I've not felt this.'"

Akins' friends told her to explore a possible postpartum depression diagnosis. "Having that community that you know and trust is crucial because then you know that they are coming from such a place of truth and loving [that] you don't get offended by very much."

Akins and Thomas Rhett shares daughters Lillie Carolina, 17 months, Lennon Love, 3, Ada James, 5½, and Willa Gray, 7.

For Father's Day this year, Akins shared the couple's podcast episode to her Instagram, writing, "We got to have TR on this week's episode of #LiveinLove for #fathersday! Watching him be a dad is my favorite thing, especially in these creative moments :)"

"🧡 Love you so much honey! 🥰🥰."

In the clip, the musician explained his process for demoing songs and said that he comes up with little rap games in the kitchen for his daughters. "I would say a line like, 'I'm going to eat this chocolate bunny, and I'm going to something something that ain't funny,' and then have [my daughters] try to keep rhyming," he said.

"It's cool to watch their brains ... it is interesting to watch them grow into their own, whatever they're going to do."

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