‘We weren’t ready’: Priyanka Chopra Jonas on Malti’s premature birth and NICU battle

Actor Priyanka Chopra has opened up about one of the most emotionally overwhelming chapters of her life — the premature birth of her daughter, Malti Marie, and the days that followed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Priyanka and singer Nick Jonas welcomed Malti via surrogacy in January 2022. The couple had been expecting her in April, but complications led to an early delivery. Malti spent over 100 days in the NICU before finally coming home.

“We Weren’t Ready”

Speaking on Jay Shetty’s podcast, Priyanka recalled the moment they first saw their daughter in intensive care.

"We went with her to the NICU. One of us was allowed at a time, and she cried the first time. It was like a cat (makes a sound like a kitten). That's all we got. My mum and in-laws flew down, but we were in the hospital. It was such a personally traumatic time."

She revealed that amid the uncertainty surrounding Malti’s health, the couple had to deal with another shock — news of her birth leaking to the media.

"But somehow, because we were in and out of the hospital, I remember it leaked, and we got a text saying that her birth was going to be put out by the papers... that if we didn't, they would in three hours. So we were kind of forced into announcing her birth. We wanted to hold onto our own narrative of it; we weren't ready because we didn't know what would happen with her or how she would be."

“1 Pound 11 Ounces, And Purple Basically”

Nick Jonas had earlier shared equally heart-wrenching details about Malti’s arrival.

"She came into the world under very intense circumstances, which I've never really talked about. We were expecting her to arrive in April, the year she was born. Then we got a call that it was going to be sooner... We got to the hospital and [she came out at] 1 pound 11 ounces, and purple basically."

He revealed that Malti required six blood transfusions and constant monitoring in the NICU. During that period, the couple worked in 12-hour shifts to ensure one of them was always by her side.

"It was COVID-19 time, and so my wife and I basically did 12-hour shifts at the hospital for 3.5 months. I can still smell it; there are always visceral things. It was both comforting and frightening to be there every day and to see other families going through a similar situation. She (Malti) fought every day for 3.5 months and slowly started to gain some weight. After six blood transfusions, she was doing great. We got to take her home after 3.5 months."

Nick also reflected on how those early struggles shaped their daughter’s spirit.

"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, and you can actually feel it in her in the way that she behaves and how exciting everything is."

Priyanka shared that faith played a significant role during those anxious months.

"Nick would sing to her on his guitar. I used to have this little iPod which played all my mantras-my Mahamrityunjay Mantra, my Gayatri Mantra, my Om Namah Shiv mantra-all of it would play all day inside her crib softly. There were a lot of people praying for her. She was very, very desired, very coveted, and treasured. It was so hard, her journey to get to this planet."

On The Work Front

Priyanka Chopra’s latest release is The Bluff, directed by Frank E. Flowers. The film, set in the late 19th-century Caribbean, follows a former pirate protecting her family when her past resurfaces. It also stars Karl Urban and will stream on Prime Video from February 25.

For many fans in India and around the world, Malti’s survival story — from being “1 pound 11 ounces, and purple basically” to thriving today — stands as a powerful testament to resilience, faith and parental strength.