Kate Middleton opens up about the real challenges of motherhood

Kate discusses how oftentimes moms are afraid to ask for help due to pressure to be perfect

Everyone has set an image in their minds of the “perfect life” lived by the Royal Family of Britain. However, speaking to Women’s Health, the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, recently opened up about the real challenges of motherhood.

Kate was speaking at a Best Beginnings event, a UK-based organisation that focuses on child healthcare to raise awareness of maternal mental health challenges—something not even princesses are immune to. “Personally, becoming a mother has been such a rewarding and wonderful experience. However, at times it has also been a huge challenge,” she said. “Even for me, who has support at home that most mothers do not. Nothing can really prepare you for the sheer, overwhelming experience of what it means to become a mother. It’s full of complex emotions of joy, exhaustion, love, and worry, all mixed together.”



She discussed how oftentimes moms are afraid to ask for help due to pressure to be perfect. "It is right to talk about motherhood as a wonderful thing," she said, "but we also need to talk about its stresses and strains. It’s okay not to find it easy, and asking for help should not be seen as a sign of weakness.”

Her speech is part of a bigger initiative from the Royal Family to de-stigmatise mental health. Along with Prince William and Prince Harry, Kate founded Heads Together, a charity which aims to solve social challenges by bringing awareness to mental illness.

“If any of us caught a fever during pregnancy, we would seek advice and support from a doctor. Getting help with our mental health is no different," she said in her speech. "Our children need us to look after ourselves and get the support we need.”



This isn't the first time the royal couple has opened up about the real challenges of parenting. In a candid interview with Talk Vietnam during his trip to the country in 2016, Prince William said fatherhood could sometimes be a struggle. “As the other parents in the room will testify, there’s wonderful highs and there’s wonderful lows. It’s been quite a change for me, personally," he said. "I've struggled at times, the alteration from being a single, independent man to going into marriage and then having children is life-changing."