Sania Mirza Opens Up About Breastfeeding Challenges and Working Mom Guilt

Indian tennis legend Sania Mirza, who recently retired from professional sport, has now focused entirely on raising her son, Izhaan Mirza Malik. In a candid conversation on a podcast hosted by Masoom Minawala, Sania Mirza opened up about the challenges she faced during the early days of motherhood, including mental stress and societal expectations. Her experiences reflected the struggles shared by countless mothers around the world.

Speaking about a particularly emotional moment, Sania Mirza recalled the first time she had to leave her son Izhaan for work, just six weeks after his birth. “I had to travel to Delhi for work, and it was an incredibly difficult experience. I felt a profound sense of guilt,” she said. She noted that mothers often blame themselves unnecessarily in such situations, although children tend to adjust more quickly than expected.

Sania Mirza revealed that during that period, she was still breastfeeding and had to pump milk during her flight, which she found both physically taxing and mentally stressful. “I spent the whole day anxious after leaving him behind,” she said. However, upon returning home and finding both herself and her son safe and well, she felt reassured. Reflecting on the experience, she said, “Taking that step was ultimately a good decision. It gave me confidence to balance motherhood and my professional life.”

Despite being a world-class athlete, Sania Mirza shared that breastfeeding during the early days of motherhood was one of the hardest tasks she had ever undertaken. “More than the physical effort, the mental burden of being the only person responsible for nourishing the child was overwhelming,” she said. She described how sleep deprivation, lack of time, and having to plan her life around feeding schedules added to the difficulty.

Sania Mirza emphasized that instead of imposing rigid social and cultural expectations solely on women, parenting should be viewed as a shared responsibility between both parents. “Rather than placing the burden on women under harsh societal structures, we need to recognize that raising children should be a shared responsibility,” she stated.