Meghan Markle opens up about 'rare and scary' experience with postpartum Preeclampsia in podcast debut

Meghan Markle has revealed she had a 'huge medical scare' as she suffered from postpartum preeclampsia- a potentially life-threatening condition after giving birth to one of her children. Her confession was made in the first episode of her new podcast Confessions Of A Female Founder.

The Duchess of Sussex launched the series under Lemonada Media by sharing heartwarming childhood photos on Instagram, reminiscing about her early days selling cookies. "Being an entrepreneur can start young. (By the way, all these years later and I'm still selling cookies!)," she wrote.

In a candid conversation with Bumble founder and tech titan Whitney Wolfe Herd, the two high-powered women opened up about their personal battles with the rare postpartum condition. "We both had very similar experiences – though we didn't know each other at the time – with postpartum, and we both had preeclampsia. Postpartum preeclampsia," Meghan said.

Though the Duchess didn’t specify whether the condition followed the birth of Prince Archie, 5, or Princess Lilibet, 3. "It's so rare and so scary. And you're still trying to juggle all of these things, and the world doesn't know what's happening quietly. And in the quiet, you're still trying to show up for people – mostly for your children – but those things are huge medical scares."

Wolfe Herd added, "I mean life or death, truly."

The episode dropped mere hours after Prince Harry touched down in the UK and as King Charles III embarked on a four-day state visit to Italy. Meanwhile, Harry was seen entering the High Court to appeal a ruling regarding his right to publicly funded security.

Wolfe Herd recalled the pressure Meghan faced just two days after Archie’s birth. "I mean, I'll never forget the image of you after you delivered Archie, and the whole world was waiting for his debut… I was like, ‘Oh my God, how is this woman doing this? How is this woman putting on heels and going and debuting a child…in front of the entire world?’” she said, adding with a laugh, “I could barely face a doorbell delivery for takeout food in a robe."

Wolfe Herd praised Meghan’s grace under pressure: “It takes a very strong cookie.” She reflected on her own turbulent days at Tinder, saying, “I didn’t leave my house for, like, a month and a half.”

Meghan also spoke about her obsessive attention to detail during the early days of her brand, especially when it came to packaging: “Boxes. It's all I could think about… What about the packing peanuts, but they're biodegradable? Where does the sticker go?” She chuckled about a new term she learned: porch pirate. “Had never heard that before. What's a porch pirate?”

The pair discussed the cost of mental strain in business. “The amount of time, Meg, that I wasted on being stressed, being miserable… I actually think I would have been more successful had I not been like that,” said Wolfe Herd. Meghan responded with honest vulnerability: “But can you turn it off?... Those 3am loops, and you can't stop overthinking the thing.”

Wolfe Herd shared her strategy for regaining clarity — the rule of fives: “Will this matter in five minutes? Five hours? Five days?... If it's not going to matter in five years, throw it out the window.”

Motherhood & priorities

Both mothers described how motherhood has reshaped their priorities. Wolfe Herd declared, “Their well-being is our wellbeing.” Meghan echoed the sentiment, describing how her daughter Lilibet often joins her in the office post-nap. “She knows where to find me, even if my door is closed… She’ll be sitting there on my lap during one of these meetings… I wouldn't have it any other way.”

“What I do love the most about having young kids… is the perspective it brings,” Meghan continued. “You’re building something while your child's going through potty training… In your own world, that's super high value. And in [Lilibet's] world, that's super high value.”

Wolfe Herd also emphasized the flexibility that modern technology offers parents: “Why do I need to be at a desk? I have the same mental opinion in a carpool line.”

And in a heartfelt tribute, Wolfe Herd called Meghan “such an amazing hostess,” saying her home was “engulfed in love and coziness.”

The podcast, which follows the Duchess’s polarizing Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan and her As Ever brand venture, features intimate conversations with powerhouse women. “I hope 'Confessions of a Female Founder' reminds listeners they're not alone,” Meghan told The New York Times. “These are honest conversations with women who've built from the ground up, faced challenges and kept going.”

The show’s trailer, released March 25, teased a blend of motivational “girl talk,” entrepreneurial strategy, and deeply personal reflections. “Let’s do this, ladies,” Meghan signs off.

The eight-part series is expected to spotlight the Duchess’s journey with her new lifestyle brand, which includes herbal teas, floral sprinkles, jams, and even crepe mix. It’s part of a deal signed with Lemonada Media in early 2024, following her previous Archetypes podcast with Spotify.