Celebrating her first Mother’s Day today as a mum is Ileana D’Cruz, the birth of whose son, Koa Phoenix Dolan, gave her a rebirth of sorts. The actor and husband Michael Dolan welcomed Koa in August last year. “Life has completely changed since my baby was born. I feel like a different person. I love that,” she says.

Reminiscing about the time she met her son for the first time, she says, “I vividly recall how it felt holding him for the first time. He was calm and not crying at all. You see so many videos of kids being born and crying, but he wasn’t like them. He was curled up in my arms, looking at the world and his mother. It was beautiful.”

Ask her about the change motherhood has brought in her and the 37-year-old states, “I’m constantly on my toes, and I don’t know how I do it. I now understand why mothers are called superwomen — you just get this natural strength after having your baby. It’s crazy,” she says, adding that her body has found a new way to deal with the tiredness.

“I am exhausted to a point where I don’t know what I’m doing at times, but at the same time, I’m also very aware of what’s going on around me. It’s humbling yet powerful. This little baby has taken over our world and changed it for better.”

Sharing that both she and Michael are thoroughly invested in Koa, the actor, who was last seen in Do Aur Do Pyaar. adds: “Sometimes, I wish they’d give manuals after you have your baby. But you just have to wing it — take that little baby in your arms, go home and take care of it. I do the best I possibly can.”