'Never 50-50 Between Both Parents': Sania Mirza's Candid Take On Motherhood, Parenting And Guilt

Former Indian tennis player, Sania Mirza, recently bared her heart out in an emotional and eye-opening conversation. Sania, who was once a tennis icon, is now retired and enjoying being a full-time mom to her son, Izhaan Mirza Malik. The former player struck a chord with mothers everywhere after giving a peek behind the curtain on what motherhood has really been like for her, from breastfeeding challenges and societal pressures to the burden women carry in parenting.

Sania Mirza opens up on feeling mom guilt

In a candid discussion with Masoom Minawala on her podcast, Sania talked about the guilt she felt the first time she had to leave her newborn for her work commitments. The tennis icon shared that she was only six weeks postpartum when she had to fly to Delhi for an event, leaving her infant son, Izhaan, for the first time. Recalling the emotional rollercoaster throughout the trip, Sania shared:

“The first time I left Izhaan, he was six weeks old. It was the hardest flight I’ve taken, I think. I had to go to Delhi for an event, and I said I can’t do it. I was being dramatic because, honestly, it isn’t. Like people do that all the time, and kids are absolutely fine. We beat ourselves over it because we are giving ourselves mom’s guilt.”

Sania added that she was still breastfeeding Izhaan back then, so she had to pump on the plane. She kept worrying about her baby the whole day, and only calmed down when she returned and saw that he was doing fine. She shared: 

“I took the morning flight, and at that time, I was still feeding him. So, I had to pump on the plane. It was a nuisance. And I took that flight. I am so glad that I did because if I hadn’t taken that flight, I don’t think I would have been able ever to leave him and work. I did a morning-evening from Hyderabad to Delhi. I came back. He was absolutely fine. I was absolutely fine. I had shed a few tears here and there.”

Sania Mirza’s reflection on parental roles

Sania’s brutally honest reflection on parental roles really struck a nerve with working moms everywhere. Reflecting on her lived experience raising her son with her ex-husband, Shoaib Malik, echoed the invisible labour women carry every day — from late-night feedings to mental load and planning. Despite her status as a world-class athlete, Sania admitted that breastfeeding was more emotionally taxing than even pregnancy itself, given the mental and emotional strain that came with being her newborn’s only source of nourishment. She was quoted as saying:

“It is never 50-50 between both parents… I breastfed for 2.5-3 months. For me, that was the hardest part of pregnancy. I am like, I will get pregnant three more times, but this feeding business, I don’t know if I can do. For me, it was not the physical aspect of it, but the emotional and mental aspects that were draining. As working women, it ties you down. They are so dependent on it, time commitment, not enough sleep, and you are centring all activities around the feeding schedule. I did what was needful.”

Talking about the rules of parenting, Sania does not feel there is any right or wrong to it, as long as the child is healthy and happy. She suggests that, rather than straining women with societal and cultural expectations, parents need to take collective responsibility.

What do you think about Sania Mirza’s revelations on motherhood?

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