Susan Sarandon Got Honest About What It’s Like to Become a Mom at an Age When Others are Already Babysitting Grandchildren

The problems that women face in their quest to become pregnant are not usually discussed in society. Medical diagnoses, long-term treatments, mental problems associated with it. However, actress Susan Sarandon brings up these issues without shyness. She knows from experience what it is like to want to be a mom and not have the opportunity. For years, the actress has been trying to get pregnant. And now she’s openly sharing her story to support other women.

Before motherhood.

Sarandon’s film career began in 1970, with her starring role in Joe, a dramatic feature film. She then jumped to the small screen with the soap opera, A World Apart, and by 1975, the year she turned 29, she was launched to fame after appearing in the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

By 1984, she had already held over 25 roles in series and movies, and not just any roles — she received an Oscar nomination for “Best Actress” in 1980 for her performance in Atlantic City. In her personal life, she was romantically involved with Italian director Franco Amurri, and this relationship brought forth certain concerns about motherhood.

These concerns stemmed from experiencing certain physical symptoms that doctors couldn’t diagnose precisely, leading to treatments with limited explanation and accuracy. However, despite this challenging situation, she defied the odds and became pregnant at nearly 40 years old.

“With each child, people were like, ’Are you crazy? Don’t!’”

Just imagine, once the actress finally got pregnant, her colleagues started advising her to get rid of the baby. “Don’t have the baby,” and “It will ruin your career,” they said. Fortunately, Susan had the courage to ignore such advice and continue to wait for her firstborn. It was Eva Amurri, who is now an accomplished actress and content creator.

It was not until her forties that a definitive diagnosis was given to her. The actress suffered from “endometriosis,” a benign disease where the remains of the endometrium (internal part of the uterus), which flakes off during each menstruation and causes bleeding, invades other organs, such as the rectum, the bladder, the ovaries, etc.

This condition can generate pain in different parts of the body, and it often leads to infertility since a woman with endometriosis has fewer and poorer quality oocytes.

The relationship with Amurri ended, but in 1988, she began a relationship with actor Tim Robbins, 12 years younger, who she met while filming Bull Durham. With him, she had her other 2 sons, John “Jack” Henry, born in 1989, and Miles Robbins, born on May 4, 1992.

“I had my first baby at 39 and my third at 45, and with each child, [people were] like, ’Are you crazy? Don’t!’” Sarandon revealed in an interview.

Eva Amurri, her eldest daughter, has become a mother to three children: daughter Marlowe, born in 2014; sons Major James, born in 2016, and Mateo, born in 2020. Both Amurri and Sarandon’s social media posts reveal the actress in the role of a devoted and affectionate grandmother. Even as a great-grandmother, she seems equally loving, as evident in a heartwarming 2017 photo capturing four generations of the family celebrating her ninety-fourth birthday together.

Speaking out for others

To have the family that this movie legend has today, she had to overcome many physical barriers and not take “no” for an answer when it came to her disease. “It’s not okay to miss out on a part of life because of pain and excessive bleeding,” Sarandon said in 2011 at an EFA (Endometriosis Foundation of America, Inc.) event.

In that presentation, the actress also put the spotlight on the fact that more must be said in order to eliminate the loneliness that surrounds this disease.

In addition, the actress speaks openly about the problems associated with breastfeeding, giving details from her own experience.

In one of her interviews, she was asked to give advice to women who soon want to become moms. And here’s what the actress said: “What I always tell any woman who’s telling me they’re thinking of having a baby is that no matter how involved or well-intentioned your baby daddy or husband is, it is up to you in the beginning. That’s the way it’s designed, there’s just no getting around that. Try to have the best time you can with the birth and everything else because it’s a pretty crazy, sci-fi adventure. Try not to think you have to be perfect.”

Susan Sarandon is now 75 years old, a mother of 3 and grandmother of 3 grandchildren. The ending of her story is a happy one, but she raised her voice about endometriosis so that others would talk about their pain, not get used to it, and get diagnosed and treated as soon as possible to live a better, quality life.

No matter how old a woman is, how healthy she is, or how famous she is, anyone can have trouble getting pregnant or carrying a baby. Stars like Susan Sarandon are doing a great thing. They show women that they are not alone in their struggles. And in doing so, they give hope to millions of women around the world.