Lea Michele details ‘horrible’ pregnancy… seven months after giving birth to her son Ever

Lea Michele spoke out about her ‘horrible’ and ‘very scary’ pregnancy on an Instagram Live with Katherine Schwarzenegger on Thursday afternoon. 

After going off her birth control four years ago for the first time in 15 years, the actress, 34, said she was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome. 

‘I’ve never shared my experience with anyone, which I think is something that—now that I am a mom—I see myself doing in a lot of ways, not sharing for fear of not sounding perfect or just being afraid,’ the star admitted.  

Motherhood: Lea Michele spoke out about her ‘horrible’ and ‘very scary’ pregnancy on an Instagram Live with Katherine Schwarzenegger on Thursday afternoon

The Glee alum, who gave birth to her baby boy Ever on August 20, added: ‘I withheld a lot of my experience.’ 

After undergoing a number of surgeries to treat polyps, cysts and scar tissue, she recalls nearly giving up on trying to conceive. 

‘I really felt like maybe this isn’t meant to be for me right now,’ the Grammy nominee reflected as she revealed her ‘biggest fear’ was that she ‘wouldn’t be able to become a mom.’

Miracle baby: After going off her birth control four years ago for the first time in 15 years, the actress, 34, said she was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome

Miracle baby: After going off her birth control four years ago for the first time in 15 years, the actress, 34, said she was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome

Speaking of trying to start a family with husband Zandy Reich: ‘It’s what I’ve wanted more than anything. And, emotionally, it just started to build and build.’ 

During this time, she was simultaneously working on The Mayor, which ran from 2017 to 2018, and the film Same Time, Next Christmas. 

While keeping her fertility struggles private, she struggled with appearing on camera and suffering side effects from taking hormones, like bloating. 

'I've never shared my experience with anyone, which I think is something that—now that I am a mom—I see myself doing in a lot of ways, not sharing for fear of not sounding perfect or just being afraid,' the star admitted

‘I’ve never shared my experience with anyone, which I think is something that—now that I am a mom—I see myself doing in a lot of ways, not sharing for fear of not sounding perfect or just being afraid,’ the star admitted

Dream come true: Speaking of trying to start a family with husband Zandy Reich: 'It's what I've wanted more than anything. And, emotionally, it just started to build and build'

Dream come true: Speaking of trying to start a family with husband Zandy Reich: ‘It’s what I’ve wanted more than anything. And, emotionally, it just started to build and build’

‘For multiple reasons, it really started to affect me mentally,’ she told Schwarzenegger, after discussing the pressures of ‘looking pregnant’ but still having to wear a swimsuit at work.

After she and Reich officially decided to take a break from actively trying to have a baby, she ‘unexpectedly’ found out she was expecting in December 2019.

After the ‘most blissful 72 hours of’ her life, she started heavily bleeding right before a performance in New York City.

Best news ever: After she and Reich officially decided to take a break from actively trying to have a baby, she 'unexpectedly' found out she was expecting in December 2019

Best news ever: After she and Reich officially decided to take a break from actively trying to have a baby, she ‘unexpectedly’ found out she was expecting in December 2019

The heavy bleeding continued through her first trimester and required her to take an ‘extreme’ amount of medication as well as remain on bed rest. 

At her 20-week appointment, some red flags about her unborn child’s health were raised and, due to COVID-19 protocol, she had to go to all her hospital check-ups alone. 

‘It was just horrible. It was absolutely, absolutely horrible,’ she said, while getting visibly emotional.  

Soulmate: On some nights when she was 'really, really afraid' to lose her little one, she would wake up her husband to ask him to hold her

Soulmate: On some nights when she was ‘really, really afraid’ to lose her little one, she would wake up her husband to ask him to hold her

‘I finally announced I was pregnant, and I still was uncertain if the pregnancy was going to last,’ she said, nodding to her first baby bump on Instagram in May. ‘Oh my god, I’m going to cry. I just woke up and I was like, ‘I just want to be a mom right now. I want this time.’

She sighed: ‘It was the lowest I’ve been in my entire life.’ 

On some nights when she was ‘really, really afraid’ to lose her little one, she would wake up her husband to ask him to hold her.

Two months before giving birth, she got the happy news her baby was healthy, which finally allowed her to enjoy herself. 

Real talk: In retrospect, she regrets not being more open with her journey and leaning on loved ones out of fear

Real talk: In retrospect, she regrets not being more open with her journey and leaning on loved ones out of fear

After joking about the ways she tried to prevent a C-section, like crawling on all fours and diving in her pool everyday, her baby remained in a breech position. 

‘I felt so weak and helpless during my pregnancy,’ she said. ‘I felt that if I could have the experience of having a vaginal birth that I could show my strength… I felt that it had to end with that, for whatever reason.’ 

In retrospect, she regrets not being more open with her journey and leaning on loved ones out of fear.  

Michele also gushed that her son is ‘such a fighter.’

Strong like mom: Michele also gushed that her son is 'such a fighter'

Strong like mom: Michele also gushed that her son is ‘such a fighter’