Amanda Seyfried blasts US healthcare system for ignoring new mothers' needs after the '$20K bill'
Oscar nominee Amanda Seyfried blasted the US healthcare system for ignoring new mothers' needs beyond childbirth while on Tuesday's episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers.
The 35-year-old mother-of-two was promoting her role as Julie Davis in A Mouthful of Air author Amy Koppelman's big-screen adaptation of her own 2013 novel, which hits US theaters exclusively this Friday.
The postpartum depression indie drama - critically panned by THR, LA Times, and Yahoo - also features Finn Wittrock, Jennifer Carpenter, Michael Gaston, Amy Irving, and Paul Giamatti.
Learned from experience: Oscar nominee Amanda Seyfried blasted the US healthcare system for ignoring new mothers' needs beyond childbirth while on Tuesday's episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers
'It reflects, really, how we talk about mental health in general and also how we treat mothers in the health care system, which is... we don't,' Amanda noted.
'As soon as you have a baby, you go home. And that's it. There's no fourth trimester check-ins. There's no, "Hey are you feeling okay?"'
Seyfried continued: 'We can't be forgotten as women, especially leaving the hospital and getting those $20K bills even after insurance and no help. Lactation consultants are not free as far as I know. And psychological help is not affordable.'
The Mean Girls alum admitted she's 'lucky' to have her mother Ann living with her and husband Thomas Sadoski in order to help raise their two children.
Postpartum depression drama: The 35-year-old mother-of-two was promoting her role as Julie Davis in Amy Koppelman's directorial debut A Mouthful of Air, which hits US theaters Friday
Amanda noted: 'It reflects, really, how we talk about mental health in general and also how we treat mothers in the health care system, which is... we don't. As soon as you have a baby, you go home. And that's it. There's no fourth trimester check-ins. There's no, "Hey are you feeling okay?"'
'I can pass the baby off with her when I'm working and I know that they're safe,' Amanda said.
'If you're a single mother, you know, you're made to feel you have to do it alone, which is crazy. It used to be a tribe thing.'
Seyfried - who's taken Lexapro for OCD since age 19 - added: 'It's so traumatic to deliver a baby even if you're not suffering from anxiety or depression or any kind of mental illness to begin with.'
The Pennsylvania native revealed that 'every mother' she has spoken to is 'terrified' about their babies passing away from sudden infant death syndrome during the night.
Seyfried continued: 'We can't be forgotten as women, especially leaving the hospital and getting those $20K bills even after insurance and no help. Lactation consultants are not free as far as I know. And psychological help is not affordable'
The Mean Girls alum admitted she's 'lucky' to have her mother Ann (R, pictured Sunday) living with her and husband Thomas Sadoski in order to help raise their two children
Amanda said: 'I can pass the baby off with her when I'm working and I know that they're safe...If you're a single mother, you know, you're made to feel you have to do it alone, which is crazy. It used to be a tribe thing'
'It's grim, but it's the reality of motherhood and of having a small child. You can only do so much,' Amanda explained.
'It's really hard. And we don't talk about it enough and I hope this movie generates that conversation and I hope people understand that there's a lot of help out there. And we need more of it.'
Seyfried and the 45-year-old Tony nominee - who've been married four years - are proud parents of four-year-old daughter Nina and a 13-month-old son (rumored to be named Thomas Jr.).
'My one-year-old is about to walk. He wants to die,' the Things Heard & Seen star joked.
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