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Surbhi Jyoti on new motherhood: Our daughter Seher is such a blessing
Surbhi Jyoti reflects on her enriching motherhood journey with daughter Seher, focusing on nursing and support from her partner, Sumit Suri
Actor Surbhi Jyoti, who welcomed a baby girl in June with her husband, actor-producer Sumit Suri, is embracing the joys of being a new mother. Amid World Breastfeeding Week, she opens up about her take on breastfeeding and the realities of new motherhood.
For the new mum, motherhood has been a journey of finding joy in every transition, especially nursing her daughter, Seher. “What a blessing; I am loving motherhood,” she says.
“I am exclusively breastfeeding my daughter. In my approach to a few things in life, I am very old-school; I always manifested a normal delivery and was sure that if everything went well, I would breastfeed my baby. But there shouldn’t be any judgment for females who don't. I have seen many people judging, thinking if a mother is not nursing her child, she is not a good mum—this is so wrong. In my case, I was able to, so I did. Today, she is over 45 days old, so I am nursing her, and as a mum, it’s a gift to be able to keep her healthy and happy. What else could a mother ask for?”
Surbhi credits her proactive pregnancy lifestyle for her smooth postpartum recovery. “I am a person who enjoys every phase in life—be it my pregnancy days, where I lived to the fullest. I kept on working and was shooting till I was eight months pregnant. I was constantly on the go and exercising, so maybe that’s why I had a normal delivery. The baby was delivered in three hours, and I’m physically fine without any exhaustion.”
Though she anticipated a dramatic life shift, Surbhi notes, “I was somehow expecting that things would change dramatically, but aisa kuch hua hi nahin. There’s a new addition, of course, and a routine change, but with open arms, we have welcomed this beautiful gift into our lives. We, as a couple and new parents, support each other 24x7. We have never been hyper-social; in fact, we are homebodies, so we are enjoying our stay with the new member in the house dono ka ghar mein hi mann laga raheta hain.”
Her actor and producer-husband, Sumit Suri, was her anchor throughout this period. “The only thing that keeps a new mother going is support from family, especially her spouse. Sumit has been my anchor; he always understands the phases a mum goes through. It’s very easy for women going through this phase to get stressed and depressed; that’s when companionship comes to the fore.”
Reflecting on the arrival of her daughter, Surbhi shares that the name Seher was an instant, intuitive choice. "What we were fixed on was the alphabet 'S'. Sumit shared this name, and it took ten seconds to say yes to calling our daughter Seher."
Looking ahead to her professional life, Surbhi states, "It’s a personal choice of a mother if she wants to take up work or not. I am among those who want to, so I will. Karna toh theek, nahin toh theek, each to her own. I never intended to make a 'comeback.' I have started taking narrations, but I am taking time for the right project. Kuch acha aaye toh , I am more than happy to don my actor’s shoes."
