Sara Arfeen Khan on postpartum depression: I was tired and lethargic, and crying every day

Actress Sara Arfeen Khan, who has been part of shows like ‘Dhoondh Legi Manzil Humein’ and ‘Love Ka Hai Intezaar’, had taken a break from work to embrace motherhood. She delivered twins — a girl and a boy — in the UK last year and returned to India a couple of months ago. (Photo: Instagram) (By: Neha Mashewari)

She says, “I suffered a miscarriage around seven years ago. It took me a while to recover from it and be healthy again. I was working constantly and one day, I realised that it would be a never-ending cycle if I didn’t take a break to start a family. I knew that I could come back to acting anytime." (Photo: Instagram)

While Sara is glowing with happiness in her social media posts, the new mommy says that it’s not been an easy journey. She shares, "I suffered from baby blues and my hormones were all over the place. It wasn’t easy to breast-feed two babies and three months into it, I was hospitalised for dehydration." (Photo: Instagram)

She says, "While motherhood is one of the happiest experiences in a woman’s life, I wondered why every little thing affected me. I was tired and lethargic, and was crying every day. Though my husband (Arfeen) is a life coach, one can never train a close family member. So, I started taking therapy." (Photo: Instagram)

Seeking professional advice did help. Sara says, "One day, I decided to take charge of my life and I realised that I needed to step out, to begin with. It seemed difficult in the beginning, as I couldn’t step out of the room, let alone the house. Even dressing up took a lot of effort. I had to coach my mind and make conscious efforts to get over that phase. The most difficult part was getting used to my bloated body." (Photo: Instagram)

She adds, "Once I returned to India, five months after my delivery, I rested for about 20 days and started working out slowly. It’s important to lose postpartum weight the right way. I am way happier now and can’t wait to get back to acting, but it will depend on the kind of offers I get and how my babies react to me leaving for work." (Photo: Instagram)

When asked if she feels that society puts pressure on women to look perfect post pregnancy, she says, "I don’t let society put any pressure on me. After delivering twins, I am amazed by how God has made a woman’s body. How can I find faults in my body after I’ve given life? I will take my own time to let my body heal and get fit. I want to be fitter and healthier for myself and my babies, whose world revolves around me," she signs off. (Photo: Instagram)