20 Celebs Who Surprisingly Got Pregnant In Their 40s (& Why)

Some people get everything they want in life, and things turn out exactly the way they are supposed to, the only difference is that it happens later. Or at least, this is the way Geena Davis feels about meeting the love of her life and having children in her mid-forties, and she's certainly not the only A-lister to have gotten pregnant at this age.

It seems there's a bit of a trend in Hollywood when it comes to women waiting to have children, and although their reasons are different; for example, they hadn't found a man they wanted to start a family with, or they just weren't ready, the one thing that connects them all is that their journey into motherhood started later. Celebrities like Eva Longoria and Marcia Gross (both of whom coincidentally starred in Desperate Housewives) became first-time mothers in their forties, while other stars like Tina Fey and Nicole Kidman simply decided to expand their families a few years later.

For many celebrities, they feel that having a child in their forties actually helped them be a better parent, and others have referred to their children as a “miracle” or a “blessing.” Below are 20 of those celeb moms.

20 Eva Longoria Thinks Her Son Is A "Beautiful Blessing"

Eva Longoria married Jose Bastón in a beautiful wedding in Mexico in 2016, and two years later, the actress was celebrating another milestone. She became a mom for the first time in 2018, when she was aged 43, after giving birth to a son named Santiago Enrique Bastón on June 19.

"We are so grateful for this beautiful blessing," the pair told Hola!.

Although this was Longoria's first child, it was her husband's fourth, and she played the role of stepmom to his three children, whom he shares with ex-wife Natalia Esperón.

19 Marcia Cross Doesn't Think Your Forties Is The Time To Be Having Kids, But She's Glad She Did

Marcia Cross found the love of her life in her forties, and after marrying businessman Tom Mahoney, the pair decided they wanted to start a family. Cross began fertility treatment the day after their wedding in 2006, with Daily Mail noting that they didn't even go on a honeymoon.

She gave birth when she was aged 44 to twin girls, something which she told Easy Living (via Daily Mail) was a miracle. She said, “It's a miracle I have these two daughters." Although she also stated, "Your forties is not the time to be thinking about getting pregnant.”

18 Rachel Weisz Is So Happy To Have Another Little Human In Her Life

Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig are another couple who waited to have a child. At age 48, the actress announced their happy news in an interview with the New York Times. She said,

"I'll be showing soon. Daniel and I are so happy. We're going to have a little human. We can't wait to meet him or her. It's all such a mystery."

Of course, fans of Weisz will know that although this is the first child the couple share together, she is already a mother to a son who she shares with director Darren Aronofsky. Craig is also a father to an adult daughter from his previous marriage.

17 Gwen Stefani's Eldest Son Really Wanted Another Brother And His Wish Came True

Gwen Stefani's marriage to Gavin Rossdale may not have lasted, but their union did produce three sons. The couple's final son, Apollo, was born when Stefani was 44, and she called him a “miracle.”

Referring to her youngest as a “miracle” in an interview with Late Night (via Glamour), Stefani revealed that her eldest son, Kingston, really wanted another baby in the family. She said, "He has a direct link to God, basically.

He asked me, 'Mum, are you going to have a baby? I want you to have a baby.'"

She then revealed that her son had prayed every night for a new sibling, and it eventually happened, even though she thought she was done with kids.

16 Diane Kruger Is Having Her First Child With A Man She Loves

Actress Diane Kruger and The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus first met in 2015 when they were filming the movie, Sky, but were first romantically linked in 2017, when, according to Daily Mail, they were spotted kissing. But the couple's relationship has evolved a lot in a short period of time and they are now expecting a child.

At age 41, this is Kruger's first pregnancy, although Reedus does share a teenage son, Mingus, with his ex, Danish model Helena Christensen.

15 Eva Mendes Is A Doting Mother Whose Kids Come First

Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling share two daughters, but Mendes was in her forties when she gave birth to their second, Amada Lee. She was aged 42, to be exact. Mendes' acting career has taken a backseat now that she's become a mother, and she spoke to E! News about whether she'll return to acting, saying,

"I'm just so obsessed with my kids that I don't want to leave them. They're just still so little."

Although you can never say never, it seems Mendes is very content with the role she has now.

14 Having A Child Later In Life Was The Right Move For Halle Berry

Halle Berry became a mother for the first time when she gave birth to her boyfriend Gabriel Aubry's daughter, Nahla Ariela Aubry, when she was aged 41. But she was not done having children, and according to E! News, five years later, she had a second child, Maceo Robert Martinez, who she shares with now ex-husband, Olivier Martinez. Berry has spoken with The Cut about having a child later in life, something that was the right move for her. She said,

“I'm a much better mother at 46, or 41 when I had her, than if I were 21 or 25.

I was just a little baby, just trying to figure it out, trying to figure out who I was, let alone have the responsibility of trying to help another little soul develop and grow. I'm so glad I waited.”

13 Janet Jackson's Son Has Taught Her About Limitless Love

Janet Jackson married the man she wanted to start a family with, Wissam Al Mana, in a private ceremony in 2012, and the couple welcomed their son, Eissa, into the world in 2017. Although the couple is now estranged, Jackson spoke about motherhood (she fell pregnant at age 49) in an interview with Billboard in 2018.

Speaking of the love she has for her son, she said, "My son, even in his short 17 months on the planet, has showed me that love, no matter how deeply you believe you have experienced that emotion, can always go deeper. Love is limitless.”

12 Tina Fey's Personal Life Is Important And She Prioritizes Her Family

Tina Fey and her husband, Jeffrey Richmond, had their second child in 2011, when the actress was at age 41. Their little girl, Penelope, arrived five years after their first daughter, Alice, and having a second child was something that both Fey and Richmond discussed in length.

According to People, she said, “My husband and I really decided that we felt rather than risk having 30 Rock end in several years and feeling like part of our family is missing that we were going to prioritize our family.”

11 Salma Hayek Has Never Loved Anyone More Than Her Daughter

When Salma Hayek was 41, she and her husband, François-Henri Pinault, welcomed their daughter, Valentina, into the world. Having a child has had a significant impact on Hayek's life, and she told Parents of the unconditional love she experienced after giving birth. She said,

“People always say about having a child, 'You've never loved anyone so much. It's like nothing you've ever felt. You'll love her so much, you won't be able to sleep.'

My reaction was analytical; I was like, 'Okay, yes, I understand that.' But unless you experience it, you cannot understand what they're talking about. I thought I understood. But I didn't. It's a kind of love that's just unique to this experience!”

10 Nicole Kidman's Experience Of Motherhood When She Was Young Was So Different

Nicole Kidman adopted two children, Isabella and Connor, during her marriage to Tom Cruise, but after marrying Keith Urban, she conceived biologically for the first time in 2008. She was 41 when she gave birth to her daughter, Sunday. Their second child, Faith, was born in 2010, via surrogate, E! News reports. Speaking of motherhood in her later years, compared to being young, Kidman told Elle, "At 41, it's a more painful love. I look at that little girl, and I'm, like, 'Oh, no, what's going to happen?'

It's almost like my heart is stretching; I'm feeling all these muscles stretch with emotion.

It's a beautiful love but there's a lot of fear and pain for her life, and for Bella's and Connor's life."

9 Geri Halliwell Wanted Another Baby, And She Eventually Got Him

In 2017, Geri Halliwell Horner (or Ginger Spice as so many affectionately know her) gave birth to her second child, a son, after marrying Christian Horner in 2015. She was 44 at the time, and there was 11 years between her first child, a daughter, Bluebell (whom she shares with journalist Sacha Gervasi). Having a child later in life was complicated, and Halliwell opened up about her IVF struggles in an interview with Red magazine (via Hello! magazine). She said,

"I wanted another baby and I'd tried an assisted route and it didn't work. I feel for any woman that has that natural biological longing, it's tough.

I'd got to thinking I have a child, my husband has a daughter, and accepting this is our lot. Then Monty came naturally."

8 Mariah Carey's Life Has Changed Significantly Since Having A Child

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon welcomed twins, Moroccan and Monroe, when Carey was 41. Motherhood changed Carey's life, and she revealed as much on The Steve Harvey Show, saying,

"It used to be just about me. It used to be like, 'I've got to get my sleep, I've got to get my rest, I have to sing, and do this and that.' Now, it's really like, 'What are they doing?

Are they asleep yet? What time are they getting up?' The activities for the next day. So, it's been a journey for me."

7 Becoming Pregnant Became Helen Hunt's Greatest Wish

When Helen Hunt wanted to start a family, she found that falling pregnant was extremely difficult. She spoke about this in an interview with Ladies' Home Journal, saying, "It turned out to be tougher to get pregnant than I thought it would be.

I tried for a long time, and it just didn't happen, to the point where getting pregnant became the greatest wish and the greatest challenge of my life.

My fate wasn't to jump into the backseat of a car and have a baby. My boyfriend and I were on our last big try, and if the baby hadn't come, we would have adopted. But then I did get pregnant - in 2003." Hunt was 45, when she welcomed her daughter, Makena Lei Gordon Carnahan.

6 Alyssa Milano's Husband And Children Are What Her Life Is All About

Alyssa Milano has to balance motherhood and her career, and although she doesn't have all the answers, and doing both of these things remains a work in progress, she told Shape, “The most important things to me are my son and my marriage. "

The son she speaks of Milo Thomas Bugliari, who she shares with husband, Dave Bugliari. He is the first of the couple's children, as they also have a daughter, Elizabella, who was born in 2014. The actress was 41 years old at the time of her daughter's birth.

5 Kenya Moore Waited 47 Years Before She Became A Mama

Kenya Moore had some very exciting news to announce during the reunion ofThe Real Housewives of Atlanta; she and her husband, Marc Daly, are expecting their first baby.

Their son was conceived through in vitro fertilization, and becoming a mom is something Moore has wanted for a long time. She told People,

“I've waited 47 years for this moment. I didn't really want to announce it too soon because I feel it's very early on in our pregnancy.

But I have suffered so much in my life when it comes to wanting a family around me. So this is the day I've been waiting for my entire life. It's a dream come true.”

4 Brooke Shields' Children Have Brought Her The Purest Form Of Joy

Brooke Shields is a mom to two girls, Rowan, and Grier, who she also had later in life. Motherhood has been an exceptional experience for the actress, and she spoke to Closer Weekly about the happiness that her daughters bring her. She said,

"Being with my children is one of the purest joys that I have.”

She also told the publication that it's often the simple things that mean the most, like celebrating her daughter's birthday at Sugar Factory, for example. “It's so simple, but it's things like that I hope they will always remember," Shields said of the occasion.

3 Tori Spelling's Oldest And Youngest Children Have Ten Years Between Them

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott share five children, the youngest of which is Beau, who was born in 2017, when the actress was 44. Of course, having five children can take a bit of time, and Spelling's oldest was born ten years earlier, in 2011. But Spelling loves being a mom, and E! News notes that in a blog post she spoke about her approach to parenting. She said,

"Since becoming a mom, I've realized that there are so much more important things in life than ourselves and what we have going on.

When you see life created and watch it learn and appreciate the small things, it really puts things into perspective for you.”

2 Jennifer Connelly Added A Third Child To Her Brood Later In Life

Jennifer Connelly already had two sons, the first, Kai Dugan, who she shares with former partner David Dugan, and the second, Stellan Bettany, with husband Paul Bettany. But eight years after her last son, Connelly and Bettany decided to expand their family and welcomed a girl into their lives, who they named Agnes Lark.

Agnes was born in 2011, and at the time, the actress was 40 years old. But following the birth of her daughter, she knew there was no need to have more children, and told Allure, “I knew that we were going to be done after number three. That's enough for us.”

1 Geena Davis Got Everything She Wanted, Two Decades Later

Geena Davis got everything she wanted in life, it just happened a little later than she thought it would. First, she met neurosurgeon, Dr. Reza Jarrahy, and the couple had their first child when Davis was aged 46. Then, according to Good Housekeeping, two years later they had twins. "It just happened two decades after I thought it would," Davis told the publication. Then, speaking about motherhood in her forties she said,

"If I'd had kids earlier, I could easily have become one of those mothers who over-involve themselves and try to live life through their kids.

I'm sure there are younger people who have figured things out long before I did, but in my case, I became a parent with exactly the right person, at exactly the right time."

References: Hola!, Daily Mail, New York Times, Glamour, Daily Mail, E! News, E! News, The Cut, People, Billboard, People, Parents, E! News, Elle, People, Hello! magazine, Too Fab, PopSugar, Shape, People, Closer Weekly, E! News, Daily Mail, Good Housekeeping.