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Meghan Markle is shining a spotlight on women's postpartum health by opening up about her own "scary" experience with a "rare" medical condition she faced after giving birth.
On the premiere episode of her new podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, the Duchess of Sussex spoke with friend and Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd about the health scare they both experienced after giving birth to their children, per People.
Meghan explained that she and Herd, also a mom of two, both suffered from postpartum preeclampsia, which the Mayo Clinic describes as a rare and potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when an individual has high blood pressure and excess protein in their urine after giving birth. The condition requires "prompt" treatment as it could cause seizures and other "serious complications."
While she didn't share whether the scare occurred after the birth of her and husband Prince Harry's son Prince Archie, 5, or daughter Princess Lilibet, 3, the private experience was still a lot to handle while dealing with public life.
"It's so rare and so scary," Meghan said. "And you're still trying to juggle all of these things, and the world doesn't know what's happening quietly. And in the quiet, you're still trying to show up for people — mostly for your children — but those things are huge medical scares."
Wolfe Herd, who noted that it is truly a "life or death" condition, also expressed awe at the memory of Meghan and Harry debuting Archie to the world two days after his birth as part of a royal tradition, joking that she "could barely face a doorbell delivery for takeout food in a robe."
"I mean, I'll never forget the image of you after you delivered Archie, and the whole world was waiting for his debut," she recalled. "I was like, 'Oh my God, how is this woman doing this? How is this woman putting on heels and going and debuting a child in this, you know, beautiful outfit in front of the entire world?'"