Daya Vaidya: Why I’m Excited to Have Twin Boys
After welcoming daughter Leela Grace, Daya Vaidya knew she wanted to expand her family further — and soon the actress became a mom on a mission.
“We knew we wanted another child and sibling for Leela. I’m anal and a planner so I had my calendar out figuring when I could time a pregnancy with the hiatus of the show,” the former Unforgettable star, 39, tells Simply Real Moms.
It didn’t take long for Vaidya to become pregnant — and discover she and husband Don Wallace were expecting identical twin boys! — and she found herself logging long hours on set while battling severe morning sickness.
“One of the assistants literally saved me during this pregnancy. She was one of the only people I told because I knew someone had to help me when I was about to be ill every five minutes,” she shares.
“She had food, hard candies and a bucket ready at all times. Without her, I wouldn’t have been able to get through it.”
Unfortunately, despite past experience with pregnancy, Vaidya — who stayed active while carrying her daughter — has had to learn new tricks for tackling her tiredness.
“With this twin pregnancy, it’s all about rest. I have to lie down throughout my day or my body feels wrecked,” she says, adding she has been stretching and learning spinning babies techniques.
“I have mono-di twins, which means they’re identical and share a placenta. This makes them a high-risk pregnancy, so I really have to take it easy and not push too hard. Boy, is that difficult for me!”
The couple “started right away” with preparing Leela for her role as big sister and, as the actress’s bump expands, it seems as if the 2½-year-old’s excitement does, too!
“We’ve tried to make her feel included with every step of this process: taking her to my doctor’s appointments, showing her ultrasound pictures, letting her feel my belly,” Vaidya explains. “She’s a very affectionate little girl, so the bigger my belly grows, the more she’s begun hugging and kissing the babies.”
One special bond the siblings already share? The boys, whose names are being kept under wraps, will also be given Sanskrit monikers that pay tribute to their blended families.
“Leela is a Sanskrit name which means ‘divine or mischievous play of the universe.’ And let me tell you, Leela fits her name!” she laughs. “Don and I luckily have the same taste in names! We’re not announcing the boys’ names yet, but I will say that we are continuing the tradition of giving our children names that represent our family’s diversity.”
As she makes her final plans for the babies’ big debut this month, Vaidya admits she is most looking forward to finally having a few mama’s boys — to balance out her daddy’s girl!
“I’m not sure if this is because of gender, but my daughter definitely gives me a harder time than my husband. She tests me more; yet, with him she’s pretty angelic most of the time,” she says.
“With sons, I don’t know. They say boys are crazy about their mamas! So maybe this will be payback to my husband, who seems to have it real easy with our daughter.”
– Anya Leon