Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Adelaide Thunderbirds and Jamaica international Shamera Stirling-Humphrey has opened up about her struggles with postpartum depression and how it has affected her return to netball.
Sterling-Humphrey missed most of the 2025 season following her pregnancy but returned to the Thunderbirds for the 2026 season after giving birth to son Zahir.
She spoke candidly about her struggles with postpartum depression and how she sought help for her mental health and experienced suicidal thoughts.
“So before I got to the hospital, I was in some pain,” Sterling-Humphrey said Outside the Sky Sports Netball Court podcast
“I went to the hospital, they sent me back home with medicine, still in some pain. I went back to the hospital and that’s when they said, hey, he’s in a lot of pain. We’re going to keep him.
“When I had the baby, there was no emotion. I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t like, I was so sad, like there was no emotion, whatever.
“That’s when I knew something was wrong because I was so excited that I was pregnant, so excited that I was having a boy. Then right when I had the baby, there was no emotion, nothing.
“I remember I was in the ward and I was in recovery, like I was still a little bit in shock.
“The trauma that childbirth gave me, I think it messed with my head as well.
“I came home and I couldn’t stop crying. I cried, I cried, I cried because as a new mom, I’m not used to not getting my sleep.
“I remember just crying and crying and crying every day, when it got worse at night. When I saw the night coming, it was the worst for me.
“Thank God I had a supportive husband. I went through postpartum depression and ended up in the mental health ward of the hospital.”
Stirling-Humphrey then returned to Helen Mayo House, a facility that provides “inpatient services for parents with significant postnatal mental health problems” which she credits with helping her recover.
“I said to myself, I really need help. My little boy needs me so much. That’s when I decided I would go back to Helen Mayo just to get the treatment I needed,” Stirling-Humphrey said.
“At that point, I packed my bags, Andrew took me to Helen Mayo’s house. That’s when I started crying. I cried every day since I had my baby until I got on medication and started to get a little better.
Stirling-Humphrey is returning to netball
When Stirling-Humphrey stepped down in 2025, she was considered the top goalie in netball.
Stirling-Humphrey has been part of the Jamaican team since 2018 when she competed at the Commonwealth Games and won bronze. Jamaica won silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and bronze at the 2023 Netball World Cup.
He also captained the team. Domestically, he returned to action in March but admitted he is still working out how his battle is affecting his game.
“I’m a bit better now but not where I wanted to be,” he added.
“I don’t know myself. I’m still trying to find myself.
“I have good days and I have bad days, but I’m far from where I was and the Shamira I know. I still don’t know who I am, but like I said, I have good days and bad days.
“I have bad days, and today is one of my good days, so I’m really grateful but I have moments when I sit and I cry and I’m depressed.
“When you’re playing big games, you get kind of nervous and I can’t deal with the anxiety that comes with it.
“I’ve been to hell and back but I’m thankful I’m not in that place anymore and I have a lot of support and like I said, today is a good day but I have days when I, when I, when I’m just I can’t deal with it.”
If there is something we discuss that affects you, advice and organizations that can help can be found at sky.com/viewersupport.
