Actor Ishita Dutta: Never anticipated postpartum depression, but it hit me hard

One look at Ishita Dutta’s Instagram account, and you will know how much the actress is loving being a mom. Best known for playing actor Ajay Devgn’s elder daughter in Drishyam, Ishita welcomed her son, Vaayu, in July last year. She loves travelling, dancing and just spending time with the little one. Happy moments with her son are well captured on camera, but the Ek Ghar Banaunga actress went through some tough times after childbirth. The 33-year-old says she did not anticipate postpartum depression at all.

Postpartum depression, which often includes mood swings, anxiety and crying spells, can begin soon after delivering a baby. As per a research published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization in 2017, the prevalence of postpartum depression in the world has been estimated as 100 to 150 per 1000 births.

In this She Slays interview with Health Shots, Ishita Dutta tells us about postpartum depression and how her husband and fellow actor Vatsal Sheth helped her deal with it.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q. You welcomed your son in July 2023. How is motherhood treating you?

Ishita Dutta: It’s been a great journey so far. I am absolutely loving every bit of it. The first few months were very tough, especially with late nights as Vaayu was colic. But I always reminded myself to enjoy these moments because he is never going to be so tiny again.

Q. You recently opened up on having a colic baby. What tips would you like to give to new moms who are facing the same problem?

Ishita Dutta: For me, it was a big surprise. I had not heard of colic in babies. When Vaayu suddenly started crying a lot, it took me a little time to figure out what was happening. My doctors helped me. I used to go to hospitals during night a lot because colic tends to happen mostly from evening to midnight. A few hours later, it automatically settles. I also spoke to fellow mothers. I asked them what they did to help their babies. There are some medications available, but I didn’t want to use them because Vaayu was very small. Even doctors recommend not to give anything very strong. Whatever was safe for him, I tried. Here’s what I did:

• Light tummy massages during morning and evening
• Morning and evening baths. Evening baths used to relax him
• Took him for walks
• Held him upright for at least 30 minutes after feeding him
• Switched to only breast milk

Initially, I gave him a combination of formula and breast milk. I felt Vaayu was not accepting formula. It took him almost three and a half months to finally accept formula which was also needed because my milk was not enough. He was still hungry. Thankfully, by three and a half months he was feeling better and we could put him on formula. It is very painful to see your baby cry. It is a difficult phase and you have to be very strong.

Q. How smooth or difficult was your pregnancy?

Ishita Dutta: My pregnancy was very smooth. In the first three months, there were a lot of mood swings, weird metallic taste in my mouth and nausea. I did not enjoy myself those three months, but after that my pregnancy journey was very good. I delivered almost a month before my due date. But still I wouldn’t say it was a difficult pregnancy because till the end I was very active.

Q. How involved was your husband in your pregnancy journey?

Ishita Dutta: Before, during and after pregnancy, he has been fabulous and there for me. He understood my mood swings. He knew I was going through a lot of hormonal changes, especially post-delivery. Postpartum depression was something that I did not anticipate. It hit me really hard and in the first few weeks. I just cried for no reason. I did not understand what was happening. Vatsal was there for me. He would take me out. He would force me to step out for some time and get some fresh air. He would say, ‘Trust me, it will help you’. And it did. Had he not been there, I think it would have hit me harder. I could get out of that phase only because of Vatsal.

Q. You were also working during pregnancy. Any tips for working pregnant women?

Ishita Dutta: It depends on one’ health. Some women are asked by doctors not to work and take rest. But I wanted to keep myself busy. I am not an office-going person. I was at home, but I tried to do as many shoots as I could. I created content of my own because I am somebody who likes to be busy. The only tip would be to understand your body. I wouldn’t say you should work because it really depends. There are some situations where you actually cannot work, but it’s okay. You should just do whatever you are comfortable with.

Q. What diet are you following now?

Ishita Dutta: I eat ‘ghar ka khana’ (home-cooked food). In the first month after delivery, I only ate home-cooked food. Now I eat from outside sometimes. But I eat from good places to make sure it doesn’t affect my gut because I am feeding my baby. I don’t eat too much of spices. I avoid too much sugar or caffeine as it does affect the baby through breast milk.