Ileana D'Cruz has been extremely vocal about the various physical and mental challenges she combated with her first pregnancy. From postpartum depression to sleepless nights and self-doubt, the actress has spoken about her journey with courage.
In an exclusive chat with NDTV recently, the actress opened up about how things were different the second time around as she welcomed her second son with husband Michael Dolan on June 19, 2025 and named him Keanu Rafe Dolan.
Ileana D'Cruz On Certain Decisions During Second Pregnancy
Ileana D'Cruz shared a part of her experience with her second pregnancy and how she was very particular about certain things this time.
Ileana shared, "What is nice the second time around is that you have sort of been through the drill, you know what to expect, especially with the delivery process. So there were lots of things that I was very clear about the second time around, because it was the same hospital and the same doctor. I was very clear, and I wanted to do things differently. I wanted to be a little crazy."
Elaborating on what she meant by "crazy", Ileana added, "I said I'm going to go unmedicated this time. I'm not going to do the epidural. I told my nurse that we need to come up with a plan because this is what I want to do. And it was great because she worked with me and we actually did it. It was amazing. And my doctor kept telling me that the second time around is going to be a lot faster than the first time around. I did not expect how quickly it was going to be. I went in, he was born, and I went back home the next day. So it was great."
The Postpartum Experience After Second Pregnancy
The actress then came to the difficult part of the second pregnancy, which was the postpartum experience. She explained that it was a lot harder the second time compared to the first time.
Ileana said, "First time, you're trying to come to terms with everything. It's like you've gone from being a single woman to suddenly you've given birth, and now you've got to take care and ensure this baby is healthy and surviving and thriving. But the second time, it's not just the baby, it's the baby, it's your toddler, it's you. It's all those factors. It's trying to figure out yourself physically and get your strength back, and the new mental space is completely messed up. So it's incredibly hard. And even though I was aware of what was going to happen, I think mentally it's just been very difficult."
Ileana further shared that physically it was better the second time, but not so much mentally. She smiled as she said that it's true when they say it takes a village to raise a baby, and that makes her miss Bombay.
"Not just the help you get there, I got my girlfriends there. It's nice to sort of be able to talk to somebody who actually understands what you're thinking. It's something that I miss terribly, but I do love my life here as well. It's nice to be in this little bubble of privacy."
In A Nutshell
Ileana D'Cruz spoke about how her second pregnancy was more difficult mentally than physically. She also spoke about being very particular about certain decisions during her delivery the second time around, and why she misses Mumbai.
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