HZ Women Of The Month: Anita Hassanandani On Mom Guilt & More

It isn't easy to be a woman in the world we inhabit. We are shamed for almost everything we do, be it making a career choice, tying the knot with someone we love, going against the biological clock and whatnot. After a woman delivers a baby, things get even difficult. I am a new mother and can vouch for it. From being shamed for prioritising my career to gaining weight post-pregnancy, I have been through it all.

I recently spoke to Anita Hassanandani who welcomed her first child, a baby boy, Aarav in the year 2021. She took a break and got back to work. However, things weren't quite smooth for her. She even shared about the same on her Instagram handle. Sharing some pictures with her munchkin, she wrote, "Some peekaboo moments with my boo before I head for an audition! An actors struggle is realDidn’t realise getting back to work post pregnancy will be so tough. What can I say. Wish me luck to starting from the start (sic)."

During the interaction, I asked her what all she went through post delivering a baby and how she overcame all the challenges.

Transitioning To Motherhood

Hassanandani on talking about transitioning into a mother said, "This whole transition of being a mother is so beautiful. The idea is to enjoy motherhood. The only tip is to enjoy time with your little one. These times are not going to come back. There were tough moments for me. I wish I tackled them better because with my baby whatever moments I had, I could have been more positive. It is about focusing on the right and being positive.”

Mom Guilt

Every new mother goes through mom guilt. A lot of them think that they just aren’t doing enough and in some cases, this is the root cause of the postpartum depression new mothers go through. Talking about facing mom guilt, Anita Hassanandani said, “I have been a career woman. I have been working since the age of 16. I do have these kinds of fights in my head where some days I just don't want to do anything and be with my son Aarav and some days I am like 'what am I doing'. So, I basically go with the flow. Luckily for my industry, I have that option where I get to choose what I want to do. So I choose wisely. But yes, mom guilt is for real! The idea is to take every moment at a time and do what makes you feel right at that particular moment.

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Getting Back To Work

It is one of the biggest challenges for a new mother to get back to work after delivering a baby. Going back to work after a break isn’t easy. A lot of times, new mothers aren’t able to cope with work after entering motherhood and they often quit their jobs. Talking about the same, Anita Hassanandani said, "Being an actor, weight is the biggest challenge. I come from a background where my family is super supportive and we have enough help. The only challenge for me was to get fitter, of course for myself but also the industry kind of demands that."

She added, "For me, I just do what makes me happy, I just don't care about the world or anybody else as long as my baby is comfortable. I will just tell all you women to not bother. Just be happy, your baby has to be safe, you have to be content. A lot of people after having a child kind of let go of their careers or what they want to do in life which I actually feel is not very healthy. If you are happy, your child will be. "

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