Mumbai: Lara Dutta says no amount of worry can prepare a woman for motherhood, which she describes as one of the greatest adventures of life.
Lara, who has daughter Saira with tennis icon husband Mahesh Bhupathi, said parenthood is an experience one navigates on a "day-to-day basis".
"You spend many sleepless nights even before the child is born, figuring out whether you'll be a good mother, be able to live up to everything that's expected. But no amount of worry is going to prepare you when the child is born," Lara told PTI.
"Each child goes through its own phases as well. One point of time they are the best behaved child and then they are the opposite. The day you decide to become a parent, you're signing up for one of the greatest adventures of life which doesn't stop ever," she added.
The actor said motherhood gave her a lot more clarity even in terms of how she views her career.
"When you have this little person in your life, your priorities change. When it comes to work, if it's a certain amount of time I am assigning myself away from family, I really need to weigh in. I love doing things for myself and would never put myself as the last person I'd look after.
"But what makes me happy? Being able to spend time with my child. So it's about bringing value in your life and finding that balance."
The actor was speaking at the launch of Abbott's 'Grow Right' campaign which aims to help parents achieve healthy growth in toddlers.
Lara said her career decisions are based "not necessarily on content but also on the time required" for a particular project.
The actor was thrilled to be on board Gurinder Chadha's historical period drama TV series "Beecham House".
"I loved being a part of 'Beecham House'. I came in after the entire show was written. I loved it. I got a chance to play someone on screen who I hadn't before."
On the production front, the actor said she soon plans to roll out varied content from films to shows.
"We have been busy this entire year. We are doing a lot of stuff, not just India based. We have a film, there are shows and some international stuff going on as well on the production front," she said.
"I am quieter with the work that I do because I would rather be in the role of a producer and not necessarily as an actor pushing a product," she added.
