After battling postpartum depression with first pregnancy, Sameera Reddy is scaling mountains with her second child
Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 3, 2019)
From an underwater photoshoot to 6300 feet above water level, Sameera Reddy has already taken her two-and-a-half-month-old daughter places. Last Wednesday, the actress, with husband Akshai Varde and kids, Hans and Nyra, travelled to Karnataka just months after delivering her daughter on July 12. In comfy pajamas, with little Nyra strapped to her front, she climbed Mullayanagiri and shared their journey with the world.
Back in the Bay, she is flushed with pride and recounts that the adventure started with a nature walk in the coffee plantations of Chikmagalur. “It was an educational trip for four-and-a-half year-old Hans. We also went on a safari in Bhadra reserve so that he could see animals like tigers and peacocks, two of which he spotted right in front of the door. It was a special moment for him. Then, we went hiking and I decided to scale Karnataka’s highest peak. It’s something I was really excited about,” she beams, confiding that after Hans was born, she had suffered from postpartum depression and sat at home for a year, refusing to step out. “I was confused, feeling low and crying all the time. Maybe it was the baby blues and I did not want to go down that road again. That’s why I have been up and about since the first day of this pregnancy. I was shooting till a day prior to Nyra’s birth.”
And just how difficult was it travelling with a two-month old baby? Sameera insists it was smooth sailing. “My Nyra is an explorer, she was wide awake all the way, checking out everything. Not once did she cry and later she slept really well,” she shares, adding that this time motherhood has made her fearless and debunking all the usual myths, she’s started feeling good from within. “I spent nine months making this beautiful child, I’m not going to be sitting at home being scared now.”
She insists that there’s a bigger purpose in Nyra’s birth which is to tell all new mothers to not worry about their weight but to let go of all their fears and inhibitions, just go out there and have fun.
“My husband now tells me that I have become a new person,” she jokes, admitting that many women have been messaging her that she’s inspired them to embrace motherhood.
Sameera also supports breastfeeding and refuses to be cooped up with her baby within the four walls of her home. “I’ve fed Nyra in the backseat of a car and on the top of a mountain. I should not feel ashamed about feeding my own child,” she reasons.
She has a role model in Kareena Kapoor who’s worked all through her pregnancy and after, doing things her way without listening to anyone. “She is such a hands-on loving mother and I respect her for breaking the myth that motherhood requires you to change your attitude with respect to your career,” she applauds, then, surprises you by telling you that Bollywood is a fake world of social media friendships and glittering parties. “I’ve never been a part of it because I like to be real. I’m sure they wouldn’t like me for doing this.”
Sameera herself has always been adventurous. She went backpacking around Thailand for a month when she was 18. Are any more trips on the cards? “We’ll do one every two months. The next one is to Kerala. I’ll go out and make travel stories with my kids and educate mothers on how to do it,” she signs off with a smile.
I spent 9 months making this child, I’m not going to be scared now-Sameera Reddy
