Deepika Padukone welcomed her first child, daughter Dua, in September 2024. The actress shot for a few of her projects at the start of her pregnancy, but largely maintained a low profile, except for a few promotional events. In a new interview, Deepika shared that she had a complicated pregnancy and ‘went through a lot’ during that time. She also opened up about her uncomfortable final trimester and shared that getting back to her pre-baby body was never even a consideration for her.
In a chat with Marie Claire, Deepika shared, “I went through a lot in the eight, nine months of being pregnant.” She shared that she went through a rather uncomfortable final trimester and added, “Suddenly you’re discovering body parts because they hurt. But that rib pain was, oh my God.” Despite the pain, the actress shared that she continued to practice yoga.
The ‘Piku’ star spoke about her routine after her daughter’s birth and shared that she started with swimming, then pilates and slowly got into functional training. Eventually, she began doing cardio and weight training. Deepika shared that she is now starting to feel in tune with her body, as she is able to find her strength and stamina again. But Deepika is not entertaining the idea of ‘post-baby’ workouts to get to her older self.
“I was very sure that once the delivery happened - that was successful - that I was going to just be in the moment, love my body, love my baby and just replenish my tank… Thanking and respecting my body,” she said.
She added, “I think I’m aware of up to what point I can push my body and mind and then when I feel like, ‘Okay, I need that time for myself’ or whether it’s that one hour where I need to go to the gym, just because that’s my time or I’m feeling really exhausted, I need a quick power nap. I do that.”
Deepika shared that before Dua, she would track her quality and quantity of sleep, but now, that has undergone a big change and she takes 10-minute naps whenever she gets a chance. She called it ‘mindfully focusing on [her] body’ as she considers sleep to be the ‘number one health tool or hack that I think is so underrated’.