Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt Says Daughter Lyla Changed Her Life in 'The Best Ways Possible'

Editor's Note: This interview was conducted before PEOPLE confirmed Katherine Schwarzenegger and husband Chris Pratt are expecting baby No. 2.

As Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt gears up to have a newborn once again, she reveals how her 16-month-old daughter Lyla Maria has changed her life in "the best ways possible." The author is pregnant, expecting her second baby with husband Chris Pratt next year, multiple sources confirmed to PEOPLE exclusively Thursday.

Schwarzenegger Pratt recently chatted with PEOPLE Every Day host Janine Rubenstein about the "blessed" experience of motherhood.

"I've always wanted to be a mom and I have always really looked forward to this time in my life and been really excited about it," she confesses. "And I feel really just so blessed to be able to experience it and also experience it with my husband, and she's just the best."

Pratt, 42, and Schwarzenegger Pratt, 32, welcomed daughter Lyla in August 2020. They shared the news and the first photo of their newborn baby girl's hand alongside a sweet announcement about her birth shortly after she arrived.

"Lyla is the best baby and she's so happy and so smiley, and I know how lucky I am," Schwarzenegger Pratt adds. "I'm so grateful to be able to experience it and also be able to see my parents step into the role as grandparents, my two brothers as uncles, and my sister as such a hands-on aunt. It's been a really beautiful time and experience, and she's changed my life for the better."

The author wed the actor in June 2019 and Schwarzenegger Pratt reveals that, despite their fluctuating schedules, the two really do handle all of their parenting duties together.

"I wouldn't say that we've kind of nailed down a good balancing act of, 'Can you watch her for a second while I run and do some work?' 'Can you watch her while I run to do this?' but it's so fun," she says about how they manage their hectic lives with the chaos that can come with raising a young child. "I love taking her everywhere with me and having her here in my office when I'm doing work. She's like my little buddy and comes out everywhere with me"

Pratt is also dad to 9-year-old son Jack with ex-wife Anna Faris, and Schwarzenegger Pratt has loved seeing him become an incredible "girl dad" as well. "I love it and it's really wonderful when you're able to parent with a partner that is really hands-on," she admits. "To just see him step into the role as a girl dad... has been really beautiful too."

The daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver grew up crawling around movie sets, but points out that restrictions around the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have created "a totally different world" and has prevented her from bringing Lyla to see her own dad in action.

She adds that having a child during this time has been "crazy," but she is incredibly grateful for the extensive support network she has found over the last 16 months.

"I have amazing girlfriends that I go to for advice," Schwarzenegger Pratt gushes about her community of new moms. "A lot of my girlfriends have had babies in the past couple of years, a couple of them were also pregnant at the same time that I was, so we were kind of in this pandemic pregnancy together."

She also has no qualms about going to her parents for advice on everything.

"My dad always just reminds me to just have so much fun, be playful, enjoy all of it, and my mom just reminds me all the time to be present in it because it goes by so quickly," she says. "Both of my parents were so hands-on with all four of us kids that they just always share a variety of different tips and tricks as [Lyla] kind of goes through all of these changes every single month."

Schwarzenegger Pratt has also enjoyed having brands like Evivo to help her learn more about raising healthy children, especially when it comes to newborn gut deficiency.

"I wasn't aware of newborn gut deficiency and it is something that affects over 90 percent of babies," she says about her partnership with the baby probiotics company. "Being able to know that there is a product like Evivo that really helps restore good bacteria and eliminate over 80 percent of the bad bacteria is so empowering to know about as a new mom, and to see it work really well and be so successful is also really exciting."

It is one of many "eye-opening" aspects of parenthood that Schwarzenegger Pratt has been forced to learn, and she now wants to "share the wealth of knowledge with other moms."

As the Pratts navigate life with a young child — with another now on the way — she notes that they have accepted transitioning into a new version of their life as a couple. She says being close to her family allows them time for themselves, but even then, it's hard to take their focus away from their daughter.

"My mom was really generous and came over to watch Lyla for an evening while Chris and I went out on a date night," she recalls. "And even then, the conversations that we have are like, 'Oh my God. Isn't she so cute?!' Things are just different and they're awesome and so exciting and so fun."

When it comes to time for herself, Schwarzenegger Pratt tries to set an hour aside each day to work out. "It really just changes my mood and also changes how productive I am throughout the day," she explains about her routine. "I grew up watching my parents being the early risers, working out, getting that done first thing in the morning, so I really try to do that." She wakes up around 6 a.m. every morning with Lyla, and after getting her changed and ready, passes her off to daddy to enjoy that hour of exercise without distraction.

And while that "self-care time" doesn't always go according to plan, she still finds alternative ways to keep her body and mind moving, with the help of her daughter.

"If there are some days where that doesn't necessarily work out, being able to get outdoors and take her on a walk or go on a hike together [helps]," she says about being flexible about her time with a young child. "It's been a big part of my life growing up to be active and I would say that for me is my favorite 'me time.' "

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