Priyanka Chopra recalls being forced to announce daughter Malti Marie’s premature birth: 'We weren’t ready...'

Priyanka Chopra Jonas has opened up about one of the most difficult phases of her life — the premature birth of her daughter, Malti Marie Chopra Jonas, whom she welcomed via surrogate with husband Nick Jonas on January 15, 2022.

Malti was born weighing just 1 pound 11 ounces and spent over 100 days in the NICU before finally going home. Priyanka described the period as “tough,” admitting that it was extremely hard on her. She called Malti a “miracle baby,” adding that at the time, she was her only hope of having a child.

“We were kind of forced into announcing her birth”

Speaking on Jay Shetty’s podcast, Priyanka revealed that for nearly three months, she and Nick put everything on hold and visited their daughter every single day. Amid the emotional turmoil and constant hospital visits, news of Malti’s birth was leaked to the media.

Recalling the moment, she said, “We received a text saying that her (Malti) birth would be out in the newspapers, if we don't, they are going to put it in within three hours. So we were kind of forced into announcing her birth because we wanted to control our own narrative. We weren’t ready. We didn’t know what would happen with her or how she would be.”

“I completely shut down,” she says about 27-week delivery

Priyanka further shared that when she was informed Malti would be born at 27 weeks, she completely “shut down.” She remembered sitting in front of the fireplace in her home for nearly nine hours, unable to process the situation.

As someone who considers herself solution-oriented, she said she did not have a single thought at that moment.

The actress revealed that Malti was purple at birth and required immediate NICU care. She recalled how fragile her daughter was, saying the nurses’ fingers were too big for her tiny mouth. During that time, she felt “just numb” and did not know what to do or how to be helpful.

“That was the first time I wept out of gratitude”

Opening up about the emotional turning point, Priyanka shared, “We have a big mandir in our house with a large Shiv Ji murti. As a family, we sat in front of him, and that was the first time I wept, not out of fear, but out of gratitude. Gratitude that she survived, that she was home, that she chose us, and that we were able to make it happen. IVF is tough.”



Priyanka and Nick tied the knot in two ceremonies on December 1 and 2, 2018, in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”