It’s Debina Bonnerjee’s first Mother's Day today as one herself, and she finds the feeling extremely special. The actor, married to actor Gurmeet Choudhary, gave birth to a girl on April 3. They have named her Lianna. “Being a mother feels awesome. Life changes a lot after it. All that you used to think about without batting an eye, now those thoughts come keeping the well-being of the child first. Be it a trip or anything else, everything is planned according to her,” she says.

The 35-year-old shares that the toughest part about being a parent is understanding what the child’s cries mean. “What does our child think, what does she want, what do her cries mean... you have to understand that, right from day one. Now, I can understand my mother, who always tries to figure out what’s going on in my mind, what I want to eat, what I’m thinking. She wants to understand it even before I think about it or can spell it out,” Bonnerjee elaborates.

She adds that the only time she is able to relax as a new mum is when her baby is with her own mother. “I don’t think I would be able to do anything without her parenting tips. My mother is the anchor of my life right now. I don’t think I would be able to sleep at all. It’s because my mother is there that I can. If I can trust anybody else with my child, it’s her. When my baby is with her, I am able to relax,” Bonnerjee tells us.

Has her and Choudhary’s daily routine changed after becoming parents? Not really, she says. “I am trying to incorporate my discipline in my child right from day one. We are early morning risers and go to sleep early. The first few weeks, she would be awake the whole night and sleep during the day. Now we put her to sleep at night, and wake her up at 6 in the morning, and give her a bath. Discipline is very important,” she ends.