Doing it differently. Jade Roper’s third postpartum experience has been much different than her last.
“I’ve been in a better place, which is kind of crazy considering the times,” the Bachelor in Paradise alum, 34, exclusively told Us Weekly’s Christina Garibaldi and Stroller in the City’s Brianne Manz for “Moms Like Us” on Tuesday, March 23. “I set up my body and my mentality to be in a better space for postpartum to hopefully, maybe, prevent postpartum depression.”
The former reality star previously suffered from PPD while raising her now-19-month-old son, Brooks. “I think it was mostly the trauma from the birth,” the Colorado native explained to Us, referencing the toddler’s swift July 2019 arrival in her master closet. “I think when I got pregnant with Reed, it was this fresh start for me on how I can be more prepared for something like that again.”
Her 4-month-old son Reed’s November 2020 birth felt “redemptive,” she told Us. “We had a planned home birth this time and it was just really beautiful and peaceful. I don’t know if that helped. Obviously, I [still] have the hard days. He’s still not sleeping. He’s up every two to three hours. We have hard days, but it’s been such a different energy this time.”
Even the “Mommies Tell All” podcast cohost’s marriage to Tanner Tolbert has been “better” since Reed’s birth, she revealed. “Tanner didn’t know how to ask me if I was OK [before]. And I didn’t know how to express I was OK. And there was a lot of miscommunication. … Since we’re outnumbered [now, and] I really needed more help, he does great with Brooks and [our 3-year-old daughter], Emmy.”
As for her breast-feeding journey, nursing Reed has been “going smoothly,” Roper gushed. “With Brooks, I had a really hard time,” the Bachelor alum explained. “It was very, very difficult. I ended up switching to formula at five months.”
In addition to Reed’s lip and tongue tie procedures, Roper credits Tommee Tippee’s bottles with her newfound breast-feeding success. “They feel like the most breast-like bottle,” she explained. “That has made it really easy for us to make the transition. At first, he was fighting bottles and now … Stuff like that sometimes just makes the breast-feeding process easier because it doesn’t feel so overwhelming. I don’t feel so tuckered out if I can just have somebody take a bottle for one feeding.”
The former ABC personality added that even though she can see herself having baby No. 4, Tolbert, 33, will “most likely” get a vasectomy. Roper told Us, “I look at Reed and think maybe his destiny was to be the baby of the family.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
