While celebrities often gush about the wonders of motherhood, few mention the struggles it can sometimes come with. Yet things are beginning to change.

Last month, Hayden Panettiere revealed she was battling post-partum depression, nine months after giving birth to her daughter Kaya, saying, “I suffered a bit of post-partum depression. You’re not alone or crazy, ladies!”

Now Drew Barrymore is the latest A-lister to open up about her experience, telling People she was depressed after the birth of her second daughter Frankie, who is 18 months old (she also has daughter Olive, three with husband Will Kopelman).

The 40-year-old said it came as a surprise to her as her first pregnancy was relatively normal.

She said, “I didn’t have post-partum the first time so I didn’t understand it because I was like, ‘I feel great!’ The second time, I was like, ‘Oh, whoa, I see what people talk about now. I understand’”.

“It’s a different type of overwhelming with the second. I really got under the cloud,” she added.

Although it was “short-lived, probably six months,” the actress said the experience made her appreciate the present more.

Barrymore also addressed the work-life balance issue most women face.

“I just got right on the idea of, where do I need to be the most? Fifty-fifty would be ideal but life doesn’t work like that. Life is messy,” she told the publication. “It was just really challenging and I felt overwhelmed. I made a lot of decisions and I definitely changed my work life to suit my parenthood.”

An honest account of motherhood we can all get on board with.

Images: Rex Features