5 Celebs Who Had Their First Child At 40 Or Older

There are numerous things women should know about their biological clock and getting pregnant, as many tend to feel pressure to start a family in their 20s or early 30s. However, getting pregnant in your 40s is not only possible but can be healthy, as quite a few celebrities have shown. In fact, stars like Hilary Swank and Eva Mendes have gushed about becoming mothers later in life, admitting that they simply weren't ready to have children at a younger age.

Speaking exclusively to Glam, board-certified OB/GYN Dr. Stephanie Hack, MD, MPH, FACOG, explained that getting pregnant in your 40s does come with certain risks. "Pregnancy at 40 and older can absolutely be healthy, but it is considered a higher-risk pregnancy because some risks increase with age," the founder of Lady Parts Doctor shared. "Some of the main challenges include a higher risk of chromosomal abnormalities, miscarriage, gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders such as preeclampsia, cesarean delivery, preterm birth, fetal growth concerns, and stillbirth." 

Nevertheless, even with the potential risks, an increase in women deciding to become first-time mothers later on is noticeable, and stars like Swank and Mendes are only some celebrity examples. "Clinically, it is still less common than having a first child in one's 20s or 30s, but it is becoming more common," Dr. Hack says, adding, "The broader trend is clear: people are delaying childbirth, including first births."

Oscar-winner Hilary Swank froze her eggs at the age of 37, and a decade later, the actor got pregnant thanks to the decision she made in her 30s. At the age of 48 in 2023, she gave birth to her and entrepreneur Philip Schneider's twins, Aya and Ohm. While there are things you should know about freezing your eggs, Swank is proof that the decision to do so can make your life better later on. "I would have had kids earlier," she shared with Women's Health in 2025. "I'm not saying I actively waited until 47. But that was a magical time in my life, when it all culminated. It was the right time for myriad reasons."

Dr. Stephanie Hack explains that if one plans to get pregnant in their 40s, there are steps they can take to ensure everything goes according to plan. "The biggest step is early and consistent prenatal care, ideally beginning before pregnancy with a preconception visit," she tells us exclusively. "That allows the patient and OB to review medications, optimize blood pressure, diabetes or thyroid conditions, discuss fertility considerations, update vaccines, and start prenatal vitamins with folic acid." 

For Swank, becoming a parent in her late 40s is a decision she is pleased with, as the actor believes she is a better mother now than she would have been years ago. "I'm a very different parent than I would've been, even in my early 40s, I'm much more patient. I'm much more understanding. I am much more, I think, interested in a different way than I would've been," the "Million Dollar Baby" actor added.

Hollywood star Halle Berry is the mother of two children, both born in her 40s. In 2008, Berry became a first-time mother by giving birth to daughter Nahla Ariela Aubry, whom she shares with her ex, model Gabriel Aubry. At the time, Berry was 41, showcasing that pregnancy in one's early 40s is possible. 

In fact, Berry is also a great example of a pregnancy in one's late 40s, as the star welcomed her second child, son Maceo-Robert Martinez, in 2013. The Academy Award-winning actor shares her second child with her ex, actor Olivier Martinez. At the time of her son's birth, Berry was 47 years old. "I have two children with two different fathers," Berry told AARP in 2022. "As a mom living this modern, blended family, all I care about is that my kids are OK with the decisions I'm making."

In 2019, Berry told InStyle that she adored being pregnant, and had she decided to have children earlier, she probably would have had more. "Or if I hadn't been busy trying to make movies, I would have been the perfect surrogate," the "Monster's Ball" actor revealed (via People). "All the hormones made me feel amazing. I was so alive with my purpose and my femininity. It felt like my body was doing what it was built to do."

Actor Salma Hayek is yet another Hollywood star who gave birth to her first child in her 40s. In 2007, when Hayek was 41 years old, the actor welcomed her and businessman François-Henri Pinault's daughter, Valentina Paloma Pinault. "I had my child so late in life," Hayek told People in 2015. "I thought I wasn't going to be able to and it was such an important thing to me."

The "Frida" star also shared how pregnancy ended up changing her body, admitting that while she doesn't look the same, she feels so much better as a mother. "This was my waist before pregnancy," Hayek captioned an Instagram post featuring a photo of herself pre-pregnancy. "Now it's not the same but my life is so much better," she added. After Hayek gave birth, she decided to slow down with her career and focus on motherhood instead. "My focus went completely on her," the actor admitted to People.

Eva Mendes became a mother for the first time at the age of 40, when she gave birth to her and Hollywood star Ryan Gosling's first daughter, Esmeralda Amada, in 2014. Two years later, the "2 Fast 2 Furious" actor was pregnant again, giving birth to the couple's second daughter, Amada Lee, in 2016.

Speaking to People in 2024, Mendes opened up about the perception of her pregnancies and how she felt about becoming a mom later in life. "When I was 40, it was a big deal for people when I was pregnant ... And then I was 42 and I was pregnant with my second one and people were like, 'Oh my God, you're going to be so tired. That's why people have kids in their 20s.' I was like, that's the most sorry, asinine thing I've ever heard," Mendes said. Mendes and Gosling tend to keep their daughters out of the spotlight, never sharing glimpses into their family life on social media.

In her People interview, Mendes also added that she felt much more comfortable becoming a mother in her 40s. "It takes more patience. In my 20s, I shouldn't have even been around a child. I was just foul-mouthed and smoking," she admitted. "I could not have raised kids in any other era of my life but now, for sure." Mendes serves as yet another example of a woman who chose to have children at a more mature age, showcasing that motherhood doesn't have to happen in one's 20s or 30s. In fact, it is possible to get pregnant while you are in perimenopause, as women enter that stage about a decade prior to menopause. 

While pregnancies in one's 40s are more and more common, giving birth in your 50s is still a somewhat rare occurrence. However, it certainly isn't impossible, as pop star Janet Jackson has shown. In 2017, when she was 50 years old, Jackson gave birth to her first child, son Eissa Al Mana, whom she shares with her ex, businessman Wissam Al Mana.

Of course, having a child at that age can be more difficult, and a source for E! News revealed in 2016 that Jackson was having her ups and downs throughout pregnancy. "Janet isn't feeling that great. She has gained more weight than she anticipated," they revealed. "It hasn't been the easiest pregnancy at all. She is excited to have her baby, and that's the light at the end of this tunnel."

At the time, there had been plenty of speculation about Jackson's pregnancy, with many believing she had used a donor egg. "Pregnancy is so dependent on the egg," chair of reproductive medicine at USC, Dr. Richard J. Paulson, explained to Vogue. "And by age 50, the eggs left in the ovary just aren't capable of becoming pregnant." Jackson never opened up about her pregnancy, but she did gush about becoming a mother. "Three years ago today God blessed me, at the age of 50, with the greatest gift of all. My baby," she wrote on Instagram in 2020.