Neha Dhupia is trying to ensure that the conversation around body image of women post pregnancy, as well as a mother’s right to breast freed, doesn’t die down.
“I’ve been lucky enough to find safe spaces in hotel bathrooms or someone’s house or a trailer to breastfeed [daughter] Mehr. But there are women, especially in rural areas, that are still grappling with such nuances, and struggling to talk about it. I’m not the first person to speak openly about breastfeeding. There have been others who have blazed a trail before me. But what I’ve tried to ensure is that the conversation doesn’t die down. It’s okay to talk about it, or be nervous, or even confused, but it is not okay to be apologetic about it,” she said.
“Women — not men or the media — control the narrative around their bodies during and after pregnancy. I put on 23 kilos after I gave birth to Mehr, but I refused to let society’s ideals dictate my recovery. My husband [Angad Bedi] applied zero pressure on me to lose the baby weight. During my recovery and up until now, I’ve always given myself self-love and self-care. I’ve only just started dropping the pounds, but I’m okay being curvier too. I accept what my body wants to be,” Dhupia signed off.