Teen Mom 2 star Ashley Jones shared her experience with postpartum depression after welcoming her daughter, Holly.
Ashley and her baby daddy/on-again boyfriend Bar Smith have been together since 2015 when their friendship quickly turned romantic.
The couple welcomed their daughter, Holly, in 2017 when Ashley was just 19 years old, earning her the title that matched the name of the franchise that made her famous, Teen Mom.
Ashley Jones opens up to Teen Mom 2 fans about postpartum depression, anxiety
During a recent Instagram Stories Q&A, Ashley opened up about her struggles with postpartum depression and anxiety following Holly’s birth.
Ashley fielded a question from a follower who asked, “Did you ever struggle with postpartum depression/anxiety? If so, how did you…”
Ashley responded, explaining that she likely did suffer from postpartum depression, although at the time, she didn’t recognize it as that.
“I don’t think I knew it was postpartum but looking back I definitely think I did,” Ashley began her explanation.
She continued, “I felt like my life had become something I didn’t recognize and didn’t plan. However, day by day I focused on doing one task at a time. Celebrated the small things and worked hard to maintain a portion of my old self so that I didn’t melt into ‘MOM.’ I also embraced the fact that my life had changed, mostly for the better.”
Ashley’s time on the Teen Mom franchise
Ashley’s story began on Teen Mom: Young + Pregnant in 2018 before moving to the cast of Teen Mom 2, replacing Chelsea Houska, who left in 2020 after 10 seasons with the franchise.
Initially, Ashley didn’t feel welcomed by the rest of the cast and was admittedly “nervous” about filling fan-favorite Chelsea’s shoes. Since then, Ashley has also filmed for the first season of Teen Mom Family Reunion and is slated to appear alongside the rest of the cast of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, which is currently in production.
The moms of TMTNC enjoyed some girls’ time recently at a camping resort before hitting a local country line-dancing bar. Not in attendance was Ashley, who explained why she wasn’t there.
According to Ashley, her absence had nothing to do with any beef with her castmates, but rather a scheduling conflict. “The dates didn’t work for me I have a lot going on, I didn’t refuse to film and I don’t have any issue,” Ashley wrote. “They had a wonderful trip, sad I missed it.”
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter is currently in production.