I didn’t think I was going to be okay: Kareena Kapoor Khan on difficult second pregnancy

Kareena Kapoor Khan, who gave birth to her second son Jeh with actor Saif Ali Khan earlier this year, recently revealed that her second pregnancy was a difficult one. In a conversation with director Karan Johar, whom the actor is close friends with, the Ki and Ka star revealed that her experience left her feeling insecure as a woman, according to The Indian Express.

The conversation was a part of the virtual book launch of the actor’s Pregnancy Bible. When asked how she felt about the physical changes her body underwent, the 3 Idiots actor said she wasn’t sure if she would ever be okay again.

“I have had those moments, especially with my second pregnancy. When I came back from the hospital and looked at myself in the mirror, I thought I don’t know if I am ever going to be okay. Being an actor, there is a part of you–it is not vanity, it is about wanting to feel, ‘Okay fine, I am fit and I can be back again on my toes,” she shared.

“I thought I will never be able to. There was fear of breastfeeding because I wasn’t getting enough when I delivered Jeh. There was a lot of mental distress I was going through at that time. I felt my body had stretched, my feet were feeling like 100 kgs,” revealed the actor.

Kareena also spoke about the experience of feeling overwhelmed in the days immediately after giving birth. She explained, “After you deliver, for the first 15-20 days, you are delirious. There is just so much pressure. When you get a moment alone in the bathroom and look at yourself, you just think, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen.’ As time goes on, with love and support, it gets better.”

The actor urged people to pay attention to pregnant women, especially in the days following birth. “After delivery, everyone is obviously focused on the child, but I feel the most important person is the mother. She needs the most support, which people tend to forget,” she said.

Speaking about giving birth during a pandemic, the actor explained that the experience was very stressful. Comparing her second pregnancy with her first, in which she was expecting her son Taimur, the Udta Punjab actor shared, “This pregnancy was extremely difficult compared to Taimur’s, which was a breeze. I had loved it, enjoyed it and that gave me the courage to do it again. But this was different. I had bouts where I would sit down and think, ‘I don’t think I can do this, don’t think anything is going to be okay.’

She added further, “It was (also) Covid times. With all safety protocols, we managed to do a lot of shoots. It kept me alive, happy in times that were so difficult. There was this constant fear of what is going to happen, what if I get Covid, my child gets it. There was a lot of trauma in the last trimester mentally, of wanting to step out and do things but still.”

On the anxiety she suffered from when going to the hospital for the delivery, she explained, “The second time when I delivered, I was worried that I was going to the hospital. It was the peak of Covid and I was constantly hearing so many stories. Just that worry of carrying him out of hospital for the first time was overwhelming.”

Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Pregnancy Bible covers medical aspects of pregnancy with a focus on the mother and her symptoms. The journal also includes the Jab We Met actor’s tips, from managing morning sickness to her diet plan, exercise regime, wellness practices and nursery set-up.