A doctor, a model, an influencer and an author, Mahima Bakshi is one of those people who inspires us to believe one can do everything.
She is a renowned Woman and Child Wellness Expert and an activist for mothers and children. She strongly supports breastfeeding in public in India and has been promoting mother and child rights in India. She was awarded by the Governor of Haryana on Independence Day 2019 for all her work towards Mother and Child Wellbeing.
She started an online initiative Birthing Naturally Queen, which is an online pageant for those going from pregnancy to motherhood. She also spreads awareness on these topics through her popular digital show ‘Birthing Naturally with Dr Mahima Bakshi’ and her books.
Her first book, ‘Birthing Naturally: A stressfree guide to a healthy pregnancy and natural childbirth’ was launched by Ex-President of India- Pranab Mukherjee and is great guide for pregnant mothers who want to have a natural birth, aiming to help them enjoy their pregnancy.
And for those past the pregnancy stage, she has written another book, ‘Empowering You Beyond Birthing’ which is a guide on postpartum wellbeing and equal parenting.
Here’s what she had to say about her writing:
Your books are ‘Birthing Naturally’ and ‘Empowering Beyond Birthing’, were they inspired by the common questions your patients had?
Yes, I felt there was a need for me to reach out to more people everywhere so I felt let’s make it easy for expecting couples to prepare themselves through reading.
There is a flow to the sequence of these books- birthing and beyond birthing. Are there any more to come in this series?
Not as of now, but I am working on a script for maternal rights in India, so hopefully next project would be a short film.
Would you say the advice in your books is for Indian Moms and certain issues that are unique to us or is the advice universal?
I have totally kept the Indian traditions that are followed typically when a newborn arrives in the house, however, I have also kept the modern practises that couples want to follow these days- so it’s a perfect blend of both.
How was the experience of writing a book and then getting it published?
It took me about 3 years to write! Being a working professional one hardly gets time to write. And it was even more difficult to get a good publisher, I think I’ve just been lucky I would say.
Do share a particularly heartwarming moment from the journey.
I remember when my first book was launched by the Ex-president of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee. He couldn’t make it to the launch event as he fell ill on the morning of the launch event. But after a few days, when he got better, he specially invited us to his house to launch the book there. I took along my editor also. That meant a lot to me.
What advice would you give aspiring authors? Or doctors who feel they need to write a book?
I think it’s not just about writing a book, it’s about connecting with your reader through a book. Focus on the subject and do your research, keep the language simple. Make it easy to read so that it is easier for the reader to remember what you wrote.
Who are your favourite authors and how do you feel they’ve shaped your writing?
My inspiration came from Dr. Anupam Sibal who is a pediatrician and Group Medical Director of the Apollo Hospitals. After reading his book on parenting, I decided to write my own book that too with Penguin because his book was published by Penguin( I used the Law of Attraction totally!). I also loved the way Dr. Jamuna Pai has written her book on skin care. I felt these doctors have connected very well with their readers through their books.
Do you think you’ll try writing a different kind of book? A fiction or maybe a memoir?
I am more fascinated towards writing scripts now, I have been approached by a few directors so would like to try that maybe.
