Nick Jonas recalls daughter Malti’s critical early days in NICU

Singer Nick Jonas has opened up about the emotionally overwhelming early months after the birth of his daughter, Malti Marie Chopra Jonas, revealing the severe health challenges she faced as a newborn.Reported by TOI.

In a recent interview, Jonas spoke candidly about those difficult days, saying he still feels “awestruck” that he now gets “to experience her magic”. 

Recalling Malti’s birth, Nick said the experience was far more intense than he and his wife, actor Priyanka Chopra, had expected. Their daughter arrived much earlier than planned and was born extremely underweight, weighing just 1 pound and 11 ounces.

“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 get a call that it's going to be sooner... We got to the hospital and came out 1 pound, 11 ounces and purple basically,” Nick said while speaking on the Jay Shetty Podcast.

He shared that Malti was immediately taken to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where medical staff resuscitated her and provided constant care.

Nick described how the experience unfolded during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, adding to the emotional strain on the family.

“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,” he said.

Nick recalled watching his daughter fight for her life day after day as she slowly grew stronger.

“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,” he added.

Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra were married in 2018 in Rajasthan, with both Christian and Hindu wedding ceremonies.

The couple welcomed Malti Marie Chopra Jonas via surrogacy in January 2022. Since then, they have spoken openly about how her early health struggles profoundly shaped their perspective on parenthood and life.

On the work front, Nick will next be seen alongside Paul Rudd in Power Ballad, directed by John Carney, which is scheduled for release on June 5 this year.