The 'OutDaughtered' Stars Just Got So Real About Postpartum Depression

Since TLC's OutDaughtered premiered, fans have loved getting a peek at the jam-packed life of Adam and Danielle Busby, parents to the first set of all-female quintuplets in the country. Parenting quints can be frustrating, amazing, and exhausting, but it can also lead to more serious mental health issues. That's why Adam and Danielle Busby's conversation about postpartum depression on Tuesday's episode was so important and so real — for all parents, not just for those with five toddlers running around.

As seen in a sneak peek from People, on the episode, Adam finally revealed to Danielle that he'd been struggling with postpartum depression. In previous episodes, he had avoided the subject when she expressed concern about him. Postpartum depression definitely carries a certain amount of stigma for new mothers, but many people don't even realize that fathers can suffer from postpartum depression too. When Adam told Danielle about how many fathers suffered from it, she responded with a certain amount of confusion, like many women might have, saying,

I always thought postpartum depression was for the women, because your body goes through so much hormonal change after you’ve had a baby... I know other moms and friends that have gone through it, but I never even knew that was a thing that men can have.

Adam expressed that the confusion around the issue was part of what kept him from talking about it, saying that he was worried that nobody would understand. But he also revealed that part of why he was reluctant to open up to her for so long was because of a reason that may seem familiar to many parents. He didn't want to burden his wife.

He said:

I see everything that you go through on a daily basis, the stress that you’re put through on a daily basis. And for me to come home at the end of the day and throw that on you after everything you’ve been through?

In the haze of new parenthood, it can be all too easy to feel that your own needs aren't as important as those of the crying infants around you. But not opening up to your partner about your struggles, while it may seem like the most practical and considerate thing to do in the moment, is only a recipe for feeling worse in the long run. And that's exactly what Danielle told Adam, responding, "It doesn’t matter, Adam. That’s not for you to think about. I mean, I want to help you — I don’t want you to be like this and suffer."

From how open the Busbys have been about postpartum depression in recent weeks, it seems that this very real conversation was the first step in Danielle and Adam tackling the problem together. Now, they're letting any fans who may be experiencing their own depression know that they are not alone.

Postpartum depression is nothing to be ashamed of, whether you're a mother or a father.