Washington, February 5
Nick Jonas has spoken candidly about the harrowing circumstances surrounding the birth of his and Priyanka Chopra's daughter, Malti Marie, revealing that the newborn had to be resuscitated and underwent six blood transfusions after arriving prematurely in January 2022.
Appearing in a recent episode of Jay Shetty's 'On Purpose' podcast, the 33-year-old singer recalled the day he and his wife, actor and producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas, welcomed their first child via surrogate.
Jonas described Malti's arrival as unfolding under "very intense circumstances," as quoted by People magazine.
"We were expecting her to arrive in April of the year she was born, and we get a call that it's going to be sooner," Jonas said, adding, "So basically, we went into action."
According to the musician, Malti was born weighing just 1 pound, 11 ounces.
"She came out ... purple," he recalled, crediting the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) team for acting immediately.
"These angels at the NICU resuscitated her in that moment, and got her taken care of really quickly and intubated and everything else," he said, as quoted by People magazine.
Because Malti was born during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jonas said he and Chopra Jonas spent months splitting their time at the hospital.
The couple took 12-hour shifts at the NICU for three and a half months as their daughter fought to survive and slowly gained strength.
"I could still sort of smell it," Jonas said of the hospital environment, describing the experience as both comforting and frightening.
"It was ... to be there every day and to see other families going through similar situations," he said.
During her stay, Malti received six blood transfusions. Jonas shared that she steadily improved and was eventually able to go home after three and a half months in care. Today, he said, she is "doing great."
Reflecting on her journey, Jonas added, "I feel like she knows how she entered the world and what that first chapter of her life was like. And so every day is a gift."
As per People magazine, Priyanka Chopra has previously spoken about the same period.
In an interview, she told that Malti was delivered a full trimester early and was "smaller than my hand."
She recalled standing in the operating room as doctors intubated the newborn, admitting she did not know if her daughter would survive.
In the years since, the family has embraced simple rituals. In an interview with People magazine, Priyanka Chopra said their favourite tradition is "Sunday morning snuggles in bed," calling time spent together the greatest luxury in their lives.
On the work front, Priyanka Chopra and Mahesh Babu will soon share the screen in SS Rajamouli's next directorial, 'Varanasi'. In the film, Priyanka will be seen playing Mandakini. Prithviraj Sukumaran is also a part of Varanasi, which is set to release during Sankranti 2027.
She will also be seen in 'The Bluff,' where she plays a 19th-century Caribbean pirate. The movie is set to release on February 25.
- ANI
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