Meghan Trainor suffered PTSD after son’s traumatic birth, new book reveals

The "Mother" singer shares her traumatic birth story in an exclusive excerpt from her new book, Dear Future Mama. Photo / Instagram @meghantrainor

Meghan Trainor is opening up about her traumatic birth story, according to People.

The pop star’s upcoming book, titled Dear Future Mama, is centred around her son Riley, whom she gave birth to in 2021 via cesarean section. The All About That Bass singer shares Riley with her husband Daryl Sabara, who has starred in movies such as Spy Kids and The Polar Express.

Riley struggled with breathing problems when he was born, which resulted in him spending a few days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to ensure he was healthy enough before going home. Now, the new mum has revealed that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

When Riley was rushed to the NICU with her husband, Trainor was left on the surgical table being sewn up by doctors. This left the Mother songstress traumatised.

“Usually when you’re being sewn up for 45 minutes, you’re like, ‘Look at my gorgeous baby. We did it. This is everything.’ But I was laying there alone,” Trainor shared with People Magazine.

“In the moment, I was so drugged up, I was calling my mom, and she’s crying on the phone, like, ‘Are you okay?’ And I was like, ‘We’re fine.’ And then when I tell people what happened, they’re like, ‘Jesus Christ,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, that was kind of messed up, right?’ "

Once Trainor and her baby were home from the hospital, the singer started suffering from nightmares and flashbacks and soon realised something wasn’t right.

“I couldn’t go to sleep at night. I would be in tears and tell Daryl, ‘I’m still on that table, dude. I’m trapped there. I can’t remind myself I’m in bed and I’m safe at home,’ " Trainor says. “I had to learn how traumatic it was.”

Trainor went to talk to a therapist about the experience, who told her: “So, you know how you cry every night when you go to bed and you feel the pain, even though there’s no pain left, and it comes back to you? It’s chemical reactions in your brain. Something’s off, and we have to open that up and heal that wound.”

Through therapy, “I just worked through it,” Trainor continued. “Time heals all.”

Trainor and her husband are now awaiting their second child, who is due this summer. However, before the baby arrives, Trainor will say hello to her first “literary” baby, Dear Future Mama. The book is a guide to pregnancy, birth and new motherhood which was inspired by the pop star’s personal experience with childbirth and raising Riley.

Dear Future Mama is out on April 25.