Hayden Panettiere heartbreaking last words for daughter Kaya revealed

Hayden Panettiere discussed her relationship with her daughter, Kaya, and her experiences with motherhood and recovery in an interview published weeks before her death at 36.

Speaking to parenting magazine Momé in July, Panettiere reflected on Kaya's birth in December 2014, which she described as traumatic and near-fatal. The actress said she required seven blood transfusions and three hours of surgery.

Panettiere recalled struggling to feel an immediate connection with her daughter following the birth.

"I had always heard that moms feel an instant rush of love, but I didn't — and I had no idea why," she said.

She said she turned to alcohol while dealing with feelings of emptiness and shame, which "ultimately ended up leading to an alcohol dependency."

Panettiere later made the decision to give her former fiancé, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, custody of Kaya, who was two years old at the time.

"It wasn't a decision I made lightly, nor was it a decision I even wanted to make," Panettiere said. "I was going through a really challenging time in my life… I knew I needed to be able to put her first so that I could get the help I needed and be the mom she needed me to be."

Panettiere entered rehab and said part of her treatment involved learning to forgive herself.

"You have to let go of what you wish you could change, and be present, and make the most of what you have now," she shared.

The actress also spoke about her continuing relationship with Kaya, saying, "I love my daughter, and I'm so proud of the young woman she is becoming. I talk to her all the time, and I feel so connected to her," she said. "One day she'll understand my story, and why I wasn't able to be with her all the time."