Orange Is the New Black Star Dascha Polanco Talks Parenting on Screen vs. in Real Life

Any fan of Orange Is the New Black knows that Dayanara Diaz's storyline was one of the juiciest of season three — um, hello, Bennett, where are you? Surrounded by some of the most adorable kid fashion from Haddad in preparation for the Kids Rock! NYFW event, actress and mother of two Dascha Polanco sat down with us to talk #OITNB and parenting — but mum's the word on Bennett still, we're afraid.

WARNING: Minor season three spoilers ahead!

On drawing from personal experiences while in labor on screen: "My birth was a c-section, so I had no vaginal experience. I just kind of thought of everything that was told to me when I was about to give birth from other women who had given birth. They said, 'It's like you have your time of the month times 10, or someone's hitting you with a big four-by-four [laughs].' I took all of those comments and that advice and turned it into the emotion on screen."

On her mom vs. onscreen mom Elizabeth Rodriguez: "The show is totally different — my mom was my best friend. My onscreen mother, well, I'm her mother."

On Daya's view of motherhood: "Daya wants to break the cycle but ironically keeps repeating the same mistakes as her mother. I think it's important for her to be a great mother to her daughter and to care for her family. She definitely wants to not be the same type of mother as her own for her baby."

On her favorite part of motherhood: "My favorite part is knowing I created them. That's something that is a part of me — biologically, DNA-wise, they're a part of you. You see that little seed grow, you see them develop, you see how much they look up to you and depend on you. That's beautiful, the dynamic of being a mother. At times, of course, you're dealing with a lot of personality, but also, a lot of love."

On her love of children: "I didn't want to be a mom, and then I ended up with two [laughs]. But I've always loved kids — since I was little I've loved kids. I have really good interactions with children and love [mine]."

On unconditional love: "The love of a parent and the love of a mother is very unique. You accept every mistake and embrace differences."