'It Was Insane' (Exclusive): Daniella K...

Daniella Karagachreveals that going back to Dancing with the Starsafter welcoming her daughter was not as easy as she expected

Published Time: 19.07.2024 - 20:31:09 Modified Time: 19.07.2024 - 20:31:09

Daniella Karagachreveals that going back to Dancing with the Starsafter welcoming her daughter was not as easy as she expected.

The DWTS pro, 31, and her professional dancer husbandPasha Pashkov chatted with PEOPLE on Thursday, July 18, when the new mom opened up about her transition back to the show three months after welcoming their daughter Nikita in May 2023.

"I mean, people say having a kid is hard, but it's fricking hard. I don't remember the first two months because we were so sleep-deprived and your body is going through so much," Karagach reveals.

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Dancing, taking care of her child and also encouraging her celebrity dance partner only made the task more challenging.

"I was three months postpartum going back on the show, and dancing full out ... taking care of a celebrity. Meanwhile, I was taking care of a child at home," she explains, adding that "It was insane."

She continued to share that becoming parents felt "natural" for the couple, but it isn't always easy.

"I feel like, yes, it was natural for both of us because we've wanted this for so long and this was just the perfect time, and I feel like we're so ready for it right now," the dancer tellsPEOPLE. "But at the same time, it's hard and nothing ever compares to how unique every child is and how you have to adjust."

"And sometimes you'll have plans but all of a sudden you -

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r kid poops themselves and you're like, 'Oh, well, I'm five hours late,' so it's very different," she adds. "Yet I think naturally we were very intuitive and instinctive, so I don't know. I just feel like for what our child needs, we were able to give her and we were able to just customize our schedules and everything for her."

The girl dad then jumped in, detailing how the transition felt both "natural" and "completely foreign."

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"I think it was natural on some level, because, again, we have always pictured ourselves being parents, being a family. We've always looked forward to it. But at the same time nothing can prepare you until you actually have your own child and you have to take care of this tiny human being that is completely dependent on you," says Pashkov, 38.

"So it is definitely a bit of both. It felt somewhat natural and, at the same time, completely foreign."

At the time of Nikita's birth, Karagach told PEOPLE, "We've wanted a family ever since we've gotten married and we've been married for eight and a half years, so we are more than ready to have a baby. We wanted to start planning this year and it just so happened that the timing was absolutely perfect. I actually found out I was pregnant on DWTS season 31's premiere day."

She added that her season 31partnerJoseph Baenadidn't know about her pregnancy, but "he's a sweetheart and he really was super gentle with me, although he didn't know."