17 Celebs Who Were Pregnant At 40 Or Over

Being in the celebrity business can be brutal, now add to that a family life and oh yea you are over 40. years old. Almost every other week a new pregnancy is announced on social media, but women are waiting longer and longer to have kids and with so many medical advances these days it's no wonder women aren't rushing to procreate (or clean up after your little human). And the celebrity community is no different. From natural conception to fertility treatments celebs are putting motherhood on the back burner for longer despite pushing their age limits like Janet Jackson who amazed us all when she put the brakes on her tour to start a family at 50. While most would have thought she was either adopting or using a surrogate she announced that she was actually pregnant at 50 YEARS OLD! But she isn't the only celebrity mom pushing the envelope and society's norms to welcome children well into their 40's and for Janet Jackson her 50s.

There are no teen moms on this list of more mature mommies. But these ladies may be on to something. Reports actually claim that women who are older have healthier babies.

17  Eva Longoria's 2018 Baby At 42

Eva Longoria's 2017 pregnancy news was a huge surprise. After two failed marriages, but a ton of acting success kids didn't appear to be on Eva's radar. And after her third marriage, she didn't seem to be in a rush to have children since her new husband, Jose “Pepe” Baston was already a father of three kids. “We have a family. Three kids, so we're just continuing with our family we have now and waiting.” The couple didn't have to wait too long, a little after a year of marriage, Eva announced her pregnancy at age 42 after it seemed unlikely the actress would ever have kids. And she was just as surprised about the pregnancy than we were, she had to postpone a movie she was about to film due to her baby news.

Eva is expecting a baby boy in Spring 2018.

16 Nicole Kidman First Adopted Then Gave Birth At 40

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are totally crazy about each other now, but Nicole was once on the arm of her ex-husband, Tom Cruise. During their marriage, Nicole and Tom adopted a daughter, Isabella, and son, Connor (both now in their 20's), when Nicole was in her twenties. She has endured a strained relationship with Isabella and Connor after leaving Tom Cruise and Scientology. But after finding love with second husband/country singer, Keith Urban, Nicole gave birth to her first biological child, daughter, Sunday Rose at age 41. Sadly fertility issues plagued the couple. However, it was announced in the news that the couple welcomed their second daughter, Faith via gestational carrier. Nicole still holds out hope for a third child (technically it would be her fifth). “I still have the faintest hope that something may happen to me this year. Keith and I would love to have more babies. My grandmother gave birth to my mother at 49. I would be beyond happy and just welcome it with open arms.”

15 Salma Hayek Waited Until She Was 41 To Have A Kid

Salma Hayek almost missed the boat on motherhood or so she thought. "I had my child so late in life. I thought I wasn't going to be able to and it was such an important thing to me.” At age 41 Salma finally welcomed a daughter, Valentina with husband, French billionaire businessman Francois-Henri Pinault, in 2007. Salma was so focused on her baby she left acting for motherhood before Francois gently pushed Salma back into what she loved---acting. “It's important that your kids understand that they are the most important thing but it's not all about them. You set an example that you are also your own person and you have to continue to grow in the field that you are working.” Valentina is Salma's only child.

14 Mariah Carey's Twin Babies At 42

Mariah Carey always seemed like the eternal kid. But then she met Nick Cannon and after a whirlwind romance ( and a huge Mariah tattoo) the couple were married and before we could blink Mariah was pregnant. But she miscarried and would eventually need the aid of IVF to conceive. Her pregnancy with her twins, Monroe and Morocco was very difficult for the singer. She suffering from complications like gestational diabetes. “I don't think I understood the enormity and the magnitude of what it really does to your body… It's not just 'oh you don't look pretty and you have a bump'… It's difficult to understand what I went through because my pregnancy was very unique in terms of what happened to me.”

During a radio interview, Nick Cannon confirmed the couple was having twins after Mariah excitedly told Former President Obama and the First Lady, during a 2010 White HOuse performance.The May/December relationship ended in in 2014 after six years of marriage.

13 Halle Berry's Still A Hot Mom When She Gave Birth At 41

Halle Berry once referred to her pregnancy with son, Maceo a 'geriatric pregnancy.' The actress joked on the Ellen Degeneres Show about becoming a mom again in her later 40s. “They call it a geriatric pregnancy. I was, you know, on my way… this is probably way TMI, but I was really, you know, kinda premenopausal so to have this happen was a huge shock.” But it wasn't just her son she had in her 40's she also welcomed a daughter, Nahla at 41. Rumor has it that Halle turned to fertility drugs to help her conceive although she won't admit to it even acting surprised she was pregnant. But chances are that by age 46 most women will not be able to conceive naturally, but there are definitely instances of that happening.

12 Rocker Mom of Three At 44, Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani has been plagued with pregnancy rumors since she started dating Blake Shelton, but it's her third pregnancy we are talking about today. Gwen Stefani thought she was done have kids after welcoming two sons, Kingston and Zuma to the world. But the rocker mom was pleasantly surprised to find out she's pregnant for a third time with third son, Apollo who was born in 2014 when Gwen was 44. Gwen's longtime boyfriend Blake has a great relationship with Gwen's three sons, but according to reports, he may want a child of his own via Gwen. At the end of last year, the couple was allegedly 'focused' on expanding their family together. We'll wait and see on that one.

11  Rachel Zoe Glam Mom To The Stars At 42

Rachel Zoe may have had a super steady relationship with husband, Rodger but the fashion stylist to the stars waited until her late thirties to start her family and welcomed her second son at age 42. Rachel was able to hide her pregnancy until she was almost 9 months along due to her slim frame. But Rachel credits her hubby for a great life. “Rodger's the easiest thing in my life. He always has been. We've been together for 22 years, been married for 15… Everyone's always like, 'Isn't marriage hard?' And Rodger and I always laugh. We don't work at it. It just is. We're best friends. We're business partners. We're madly in love with each other. We have an incredibly happy family, so I feel very blessed.”

10 Kim Basinger's Only Child At 41

Kim Basinger only has one daughter Ireland from her marriage to Alec Baldwin. While Baldwin is rapidly expanding his family with wife Hilaria, (they've had three kids in four years and have another on the way), Kim remained a single mom of one. The Batman actress was 41 when she became a mother to the future model. The duo split in 2000 when Ireland was just 5 years old and had a very public and contentious custody battle over the little girl. "Divorce is hard on a kid, no matter how you cut it. And ours was very public and nasty. So I brought up Ireland in a very unconventional way. I just wanted her to be free. If she wanted to have her friends over and write over the walls with a pen, that was fine. I wanted her childhood to be full of love and light and animals and friends." Kim never remarried or had any more children.

9 Celine Dion's Difficult Road To Mommyhood At 42

Celine Dion has been very vocal with her struggle to get pregnant with all three of her kids. But it was her pregnancy with twins that really tested the singer's faith. Her pregnancy began with triplets but one baby didn't make it. Celine gave birth to twins Eddy and Nelson when she was 42 years old and she's even wished for even more children, a little girl. “ I've worked hard for nearly 30 years and I feel like only now is it paying off in terms of happiness. But the only reward that would mean anything to me is my children. There's nothing that can top being a mother. I would like more but I don't know if it could happen. I want the twins and me to have quality time. It's selfish to keep wanting more, although I would love a girl. Imagine all the shopping, the jewelry, the shoes, the dresses I could give to her.”

8 Susan Sarandon At 45, Was Told Skip Being a Mommy

Susan Sarandon was told she couldn't have kids due to endometriosis. She once said in an interview she had “gone for years and years and years without using birth control, with the explanation from these doctors. So I had to pay attention when it happened because nobody could understand how it had happened.” Susan gave birth to daughter Eva in her late 30's and then welcomed two sons from her long-term relationship with actor Tim Robbins when she was 42 and then again at 45. "It was just such a freak [thing] that I got pregnant that I thought, 'I can't ignore this.' And so I jumped. I had to pay attention when it happened because nobody could understand how it had happened."But remember she was told she may never be able to have children and she has three.

7 Brooke Shields Blue Lagoon Babies At 42

Brooke Shields' baby struggle became when apparent after the actress revealed she suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her first daughter, Rowan. You may not remember but she was later highly criticized by Tom Cruise for taking antidepressant drugs, a big no-no for Scientologists. But thankfully Brooke welcomed a second daughter, Grier at age 42 with no depression. She said, “this was nothing like the first one.” And despite her she fears she would once again need help, this pregnancy was different and she told her doctor, “I was like, 'You know what? I think I'm okay now.'” And guess who was down the hall giving birth at the same date in the same hospital as Brooke, none other than Katie Holmes and husband Tom Cruise. What a small world. But she had no idea the couple was there as well.

6 Tina Fey's Funny Pregnancy At 40

Tina Fey grappled thoughts of having another child. She was already 40, with a daughter and a hugely successful career. But her biological clock and her five-year-old daughter, Alice came calling. Tina wrote in her book, Bossypants, that Alice would ask for a sibling, “I wish I had a baby sister,” she reportedly told her mother. She got her wish when Tina who was 40 at the time decided to put work aside and have another baby.“I get up to go to the bathroom and study myself in the mirror, she writes. Do I look like someone who should be pregnant? I look good for 40, but I have the quaggy jawline and hollow cheeks of a mom, not a pregnant lady. It's now or never. This decision can't be delayed.” But Tina knew the reality of a later pregnancy. “Science shows that fertility and movie offers drop off steeply for women after 40.” She welcomed the second daughter Penelope in 2011.

5 Meryl Streep Was An Oscar Mom At 42

Meryl Streep had her last baby, daughter Louisa Jacobson Gummer when she was almost 42. "Motherhood, marriage, it's a balancing act, especially when you have a job that you consider rewarding. It's a challenge but the best kind of challenge. Robert Redford taught me that when they were babies 'they are not your props.' I really admired the way he protected his family. It's something I consciously emulated." But did you know that Meryl was pregnant with her second child when she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Sophie's Choice.

All of Meryl's children have followed her into public lives. Mamie and Grace Gummer are both actresses, while little sister Louisa is a model and brother Henry is a songwriter.

4 Eva Mendes Secret Pregnancy At 40

Eva Mendes took great lengths to conceal both her pregnancies with her partner, Ryan Gosling. Eva was so secretive that she not only avoided being seen in public, but she seemed to go completely underground. Very few people knew Eva was going to be a mother. Eva was already 40 when she gave birth to Esmeralda (in 2014) and then two years later to another little girl, Amada (in 2016). In her pregnancy with Amada news broke that Eva was pregnant just two weeks before the baby was actually born. Rumor has it Eva never planned to get married or have children and the Ryan walked into her life and changed it all up. Eva has even put acting on the back burner, but she continues her partnership with the clothing brand, New York & Company.

3 Geri Horner's Welcomed A Spicy Baby At 44

Spice Girls singer Geri Horner says she prayed to conceive a baby naturally at 44 and bam two months later her prayers were answered. “I really wanted to have another baby and I'm older now, and you think 'oh is that possible?' Geri was already a mom to daughter, Bluebell Madonna Halliwell, from a previous relationship, but she wanted to have another baby despite her age---44. “I actually said a prayer. I went, 'God, if you exist then I'll have a baby naturally. I swear on my life that's what I did. I put my hands together and I prayed and two months later I got pregnant. It was really bizarre. I was like, OK, that's testimony that sometimes in life maybe there is something bigger.” In 2017 Geri gave birth to a son, Montague George Hector Horner.

2 Material Madonna and Motherhood Began At 42

Madonna was days away from turning 42 when she welcomed a son, Rocco in 2000. Madonna also has a lookalike daughter, Lourdes Leon. But Madonna decided she still wanted to expand her family and adopted four more children. She first adopted, David Banda while still with ex-husband, director Guy Ritchie in 2008, then she adopted Mercy in 2009. And then Madonna surprised everyone when in 2017 she announced her intention of adopting a set of twin girls, Estere and Stella. She says she wanted more children in her home. “Sometimes I would just close my eyes and just think, 'Why isn't my kitchen filled with dancing children?' There's so many children that need a home. I thought, 'What am I waiting for? Just do it.' ” Madonna has been criticized for her adoptions from Africa but that hasn't swayed her decisions.

1 Janet Jackson's Surprise Baby At 50

Much to everyone's shock Janet Jackson announced she was having a baby at 50, yes 50! Janet was on her first world tour in years when she decided to postpone the tour and begin planning a family with husband, Wissam Al Mana. Much to everyone's surprise, Janet told the world she was pregnant with her first child. Talk about waiting to have children, Janet gave birth to super cute son Eissa on Jan 3. 2017.

There has always been a rumor that Janet had a secret daughter during her marriage with James DeBarge in the 80's. The child would be in her 30's today, and a few women have come forward to claim they are Janet's love child, but it hasn't been proven as fact. We aren't sure why Janet would have hidden a pregnancy and then given the baby away.