Dia Mirza almost lost her life during son's childbirth
What's the story
Bollywood actor and environmental activist Dia Mirza recently spoke candidly about her challenging pregnancy and the premature birth of her son, Avyaan Azaad Rekhi.
In an exclusive interview with the Official People of India, she revealed that she faced a life-threatening bacterial infection during her pregnancy, which led to an emergency delivery.
This condition also required her son to undergo life-saving surgery shortly after birth.
Complications
Mirza's pregnancy complications and son's premature birth
Mirza, who welcomed Avyaan in 2021, shared that she endured an acute bacterial infection during her pregnancy.
The actor explained that this might have been a side effect of an appendix surgery she had at five months.
"By the end of my sixth month, we realized that my placenta was hemorrhaging and my body was going into sepsis," she said.
"If the baby wasn't delivered, neither of us could be saved."
Surgery
Avyaan's life-saving surgery and Mirza's recovery
When Avyaan was born, he was immediately taken to the ICU as he weighed only 810gm.
"They discovered 48 hours later that the bacteria in me were life-threatening. Avyaan had to go through life-saving surgery 36 hours after he was born."
"My son had a hole in his intestine and underwent surgery. They put a stoma on him - they basically pulled the intestine out of the body, and it was an exposed stoma," she added.
Care
Mirza's role in Avyaan's post-surgery care
Mirza was allowed to visit Avyaan only twice a week and couldn't hold him until he reached 2.5kg.
"I brought him home for exactly 20 days, and no nurse was willing to touch him because it was a really terrifying visual."
"So I handled the dressing. After he became 3.5kg, he underwent another surgery that lasted 3-4 hours, and the stoma was corrected," she added.
Personal life
Mirza's journey to motherhood and personal life
Mirza always wanted to be a mother, but faced several challenges along the way. She finally conceived at 39.
The actor was previously married to Sahil Sangha in 2014, but they separated in 2019. In February 2021, she married businessman Vaibhav Rekhi.
The couple welcomed their son Avyaan in May that year.