Über popular soap star Rebecca Budig (ex-Hayden Barnes, General Hospital; ex-Greenlee Smythe, All My Children) promised that she was going to be more active on social media this year, and she has fulfilled her promise thus far with multiple posts that give fans a glimpse into her life, heart, and soul. However, her latest Instagram offering is especially personal, as it details one of the toughest periods of her life.
"I had my daughter 7 years ago. When she was about 5 months old, I was diagnosed with postpartum depression and anxiety," Budig shares. "What I thought would be the easiest, most joyful time of my life turned out to be one of the hardest."
The actress acknowledges that the condition is one that many women go through, "but the shame I felt was overwhelming. There is a ton of pressure when you become a mom. It starts with breastfeeding and on and on and on. More on that later..."
Budig then reveals that she decided to open up about what she was going through to her friend and GH castmate, Michael Easton (Dr. Hamilton Finn), who encouraged her to write everything down.
"What came of that is a short film based on my experience," she says of About a Girl, which was released in 2020 and follows Budig as a woman suffering from postpartum depression. "I wrote and shot this film (under Michael's direction), to share it with others in the hope that one woman won't feel alone. That a loved one might open their eyes to how someone might be feeling."
Several of Budig's colleagues chimed in with their thoughts about her revealing post, including Alicia Minshew (ex-Kendall Hart, AMC), who called her friend's film "beautiful"; Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea Lawson, The Young and the Restless; ex-Annie Novak, AMC), who said she's proud of Budig; and Cameron Mathison (Drew Cain, GH; ex-Ryan Lavery, AMC), who revealed that the actress' post moved him.
Even Budig's neighbor, Greg Rikaart (Kevin Fisher, Y&R; Leo Stark, Days of our Lives), -- who has a notorious "rivalry" with Budig and usually blasts her with jokey nasty comments -- had something nice to say. "Here comes the hardest comment I've ever written on Instagram," he shared, "I love you, Becky Jo. You're incredibly brave and strong. And you're a fantastic mom to boot."
Budig promises to share more about her film and her experience with postpartum depression in the weeks to come. In the meantime, fans can check out the teaser trailer for About a Girl -- which also stars One Life to Live alums Trevor St. John (ex-Todd Manning/Victor Lord Jr.) and Sherri Saum (ex-Keri Reynolds) -- below.
How do you feel about Rebecca Budig's Instagram post sharing her experience with postpartum depression? What are your thoughts on the teaser trailer for About a Girl, and how do you feel about Budig working through her pain by making the movie? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
