13 Celebrities Who Got Brave Enough to Become Moms After 40

The mean age of first-time mothers has been increasing steadily around the world. Recent research shows that European women tend to have their first kids not earlier than 29. Italian and Spanish women don’t rush to become mothers approximately before 31. Perhaps modern women want to first enjoy living for themselves and dive into parenthood later.

Courteney Cox

Courteney Cox’s way to becoming a mother was not easy. The actress had to overcome 7 miscarriages before she gave birth to her only daughter, Coco, after 2 attempts. The actress was already 40 by that time.

Brooke Shields

The beautiful Brooke Shields couldn’t find her Mr. Right for quite a long time. It was in 2001 when the 36-year-old actress found her happiness after marrying the screenwriter and director Chris Henchy. They had 2 daughters in the marriage — Rowan (at 38) and Grier (at 41).

Tina Fey

The age difference between Tina Fey and Jeff Richmond’s daughters is almost 6 years. The couple had their first child when the actress was 35, and she became a mother for the second time at the age of 41. According to her, the pregnancy was easy for her in the physical sense, but not so easy psychologically. When she was 5 months pregnant she suddenly realized that she wasn’t sure whether she wanted more children. Besides, she was worried that her second pregnancy would make her unemployable. But eventually, she gave birth, and Tina is still a sought-after actress in Hollywood.

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep, who is often called one of the greatest actresses of this age, has 4 children. Her eldest son will soon be 42, while her youngest daughter is 30. When Meryl and her sculptor husband Don Gummer had their fourth child, they were 42 and 44 years old.

Naomi Campbell

In May 2021, 50-year-old top model Naomi Campbell shared the photo of little feet on her palm on Instagram. This way, she wanted to announce the birth of her first child. In her interviews, Naomi mentioned a few times that she dreamed of becoming a mother, and was glad that modern science could help women to experience motherhood at any age. The baby’s grandmother wrote in the comments under the photo that she had waited a long time to be a grandmother and was now beyond thrilled.

Jennifer Connelly

Jennifer Connelly is a mother of 3. She gave birth to her first child in 1997, her second child was born in 2003, and her third one was born in 2011 when the actress was 40 years old. She had problems during her third pregnancy and suffered from morning sickness for the first 3 months. By the way, Jennifer chose water birth to deliver her last child.

Uma Thurman

When Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke were married, they had 2 children: a daughter, Maya, in 1998, and a son, Levon, in 2002. When their younger child was 3 years old, the couple got divorced. The actress gave birth to another daughter Rosalind from her financier boyfriend Arpad Busson. This happened in 2012 when Uma was 42 years old.

Rachel Weisz

Rachel Weisz gave birth to her first child, a son named Henry, when she was 36. The actress dared to have another child only 12 years later when she was 48. According to Rachel, the main thing in motherhood is to find the balance between career and family. She says that children help a person feel special.

Cameron Diaz

In one of her interviews in 2014, Cameron Diaz said that she was never drawn to being a mother. Everything changed when she met her musician husband Benji Madden. On December 30, 2019, the 47-year-old actress became a mother for the first time. Her daughter Raddix was born in a Los Angeles clinic. Her parents say that she conquered their hearts immediately.

Helena Bonham Carter

Helena Bonham Carter and film director Tim Burton have 2 children: Billy (2003) and Nell (2008). By the way, her daughter had no name until she was 7 months old because the couple couldn’t agree on the name. According to Helena, she had to undertake fertility treatments before her second pregnancy, and she was even considering in vitro fertilization. Finally, she managed to get pregnant at the age of 41 after 2 years of unsuccessful attempts.

Amanda Peet

In 2014, 42-year-old Amanda Peet became a mother for the third time. The actress didn’t reveal her pregnancy to the media for months until she showed up with her already large baby bump on the red carpet for the Emmy Awards. According to her, the pregnancy was easy, and she had nothing to complain about except for being tired.

Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek became a mother in 2007 when she was 41. The celebrity developed gestational diabetes during the pregnancy, which made her leave the idea to have more kids behind. Apart from her biological daughter, Salma also has 3 foster kids — she is taking care of her husband’s, François-Henri Pinault, kids.

Monica Bellucci

Monica Bellucci is happy that she didn’t have kids earlier. The actress had her first daughter at 39 and her second one at 45. The actress is sure that the experience of motherhood came to her at the very right moment. She would at no cost want to become a mother at 20. “I have done so many things in my life, been to so many places, had some great times. Now I am ready to give my kids everything they need,” Monica shared her thoughts.

The mother of this article’s author could also be a part of this compilation — she had her second kid at 40. It’s scary to imagine what would happen if she had listened to the horror stories told by those around her and refused the idea. What is your opinion about senior motherhood? What age, in your opinion, is ideal for having the first kid?