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Priyanka Chopra says 'there is nothing more powerful than a mother's instinct to protect her own'© GettyImages

Priyanka Chopra opens up about her baby’s ‘extremely premature’ birth

In a new interview, Chopra discusses motherhood, a topic that usually keeps close to her chest.


Maria Loreto
Senior Writer
JANUARY 19, 2023 2:28 PM EST

Priyanka Chopra has found peace in motherhood. The actress and producer talked about her marriage to Nick Jonas and motherhood, openly discussing the birth of her premature baby and the joy and difficulties that they’ve faced over the past year.

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In an interview with British Vogue, Chopra talked about her daughter, which was born via surrogacy, and her first months of life. “But now I feel I have a centre, a sense of calm, because every decision ends up being about her,” she said of her baby, who’s named Malti. “There’s really nothing more satisfying than seeing her face as soon as her eyes open.”

Chopra talked about how tough it was to read and see the angry messages that people sent when they learned that she had a baby via surrogacy. “I’ve developed a tough hide when people talk about me,” she said. “But it’s so painful when they talk about my daughter. I’m like, ‘Keep her out of it.’ I know what it felt like to hold her little hands when they were trying to find her veins. So no, she’s not going to be gossip. I’ve been really protective of this chapter of my life with my daughter. Because it’s not about my life only. It’s hers too.”

She also relayed her experience as a mother to a pre-term baby, and how challenging that continues to be. “I was in the OR [operating room] when she came out. She was so small, smaller than my hand,” she said. “We spent every single day with her on my chest, on my husband’s chest. I didn’t know if she would make it or not.”

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Now that her baby is learning to eat solids, Chopra shared that it’s been frighting for her. “The first time she had a solid morsel she gagged and I thought I’d killed her. But because I’m a NICU mommy, the stakes are so high.”

Earlier this month, Malti celebrated her first birthday with her parents. In an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Nick Jonas talked about the celebration and how happy they were to spend the date together. "We had to celebrate," he said. "She went through a pretty wild journey in the early part of her life, so we had to celebrate in style. She's one. She's beautiful. It's amazing — the best."