"It was really taking a toll on me, you know?"
Faryal Makhdoom welcome her son Muhammad Zaviyar with Amir Khan, however, just days after he was born, the UK was sent into lockdown.
She worked on behalf of the Amir Khan Foundation, supporting the One Family’s fundraising initiative for NHS staff.
However, the lockdown has not been easy for Faryal, with the mother-of-three revealing that she had been going through postnatal depression.
She exclusively told The Metro that at times, she felt very low.
Faryal explained:
“In the last two months of my pregnancy, I was constantly home and I thought, as soon as I have my baby I’m going to go on a nice holiday, I’m going to enjoy it with my kids and be able to take some time off but it’s so unfortunate…
“After pregnancy, you go through postnatal depression. This time I didn’t get it as bad as I did with my first child.
“But I felt like all this happening put me on a… where I was a bit low and I was a bit down.
“Having a newborn baby and then knowing what’s going on in the world, all these deaths are happening, everyone struggling and people getting laid off of jobs.”
Faryal Makhdoom went on to reveal the effect it was having on her and how she dealt with it.
“It was really taking a toll on me, you know? I was getting really, really upset.
“But I just try to keep myself busy doing other things, reading books and finding time out, praying and meditating.
“And I try to make it go a positive way. ‘It was a bit tough when I first found out we’re going to be on a lockdown and we won’t be able to do much.
“It was a bit hard coping with that, but I’m getting used to it.
“There are some days where I do feel really down. I can’t take my baby boy out, we can’t really go out as a family. But then I think about others and what else going on in the world and it makes me a bit stronger.
“I hope we all really get through this together. I think it’s so important for us to be listening to the government and staying home, staying in and not crossing the lines.
“The quicker we do it, the more we listen, the quicker this will end.”
In early April 2020, One Family launched the Emergency Care Fund, with Frontline Care Boxes being distributed across London hospitals.
Faryal Makhdoom and her daughter packed some of the boxes, which are funded entirely by donations.
Faryal said she got involved with the campaign as there was a personal reason behind it.
“Considering how many people they look after at one time, made me realise that I should be doing something and giving something back.
“They looked after me so much, so I thought that little gesture would mean a lot.
“That’s the reason why we thought of One Family frontline care boxes. What it provides is all the essentials for the medical staff while they’re on shift.
“Each box has a selection of refreshments, a pair of socks, eye mask, earplugs, hand cream, energy tablets, mouthwash.
“My daughter and I really look forward to volunteering some time to help pack these for our frontline staff and delivering it to the hospitals with the One Family team.”
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