Gwen Stefani & More Stars Who Welcomed Babies After 40

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Life itself is a miracle, let alone the chance to grow a new one inside your own body.

Medical experts agree that it becomes harder for women to get pregnant and have a healthy pregnancy as they age, particularly starting in their mid-to-late 30s.

It’s now very common for people, including celebrities, to delay having children, or to have them later in life.

Gwen Stefani recently shared on the Hallow podcast that she longed for another child, even though she thought it was impossible at age 43. She explained that she couldn’t get pregnant and felt too old. Then, her son Kingston told her he really wanted a sibling. Stefani sadly responded that she was too old to have another baby.

Stefani shared that 19-year-old Kingston prayed for a sibling, and about four weeks later, she became pregnant with her and then-husband Gavin Rossdale’s third child. Apollo was born in February 2014, when Stefani was 44 years old.

Calling it a wonderful gift, singer Gwen Stefani, who is also a mother to 17-year-old Zuma, described the experience as a “miracle.”

Having a baby later in life is becoming increasingly common, and many well-known mothers – including Hilary Swank, Gisele Bündchen, Halle Berry, Eva Longoria, Janet Jackson, and others – have recently experienced the happiness of motherhood at an older age.

 

Oh my gosh, hearing Hilary Swank talk about becoming a mom to Aya and Ohm – her twins born in 2023 – just gets me! She said in an interview that she’s so grateful she waited until she was 48 to have them. She explained that the woman she was in her 20s and 30s wouldn’t have been the same mom she is now, and honestly, I totally understand! She had so much more energy and mental space to really be the mom she wanted to be, and it’s just so beautiful to hear her say that.

The Academy Award winner explained that she feels much more patient and understanding now, not only with her kids but with everyone she meets. She feels able to offer far more support and compassion than she could in the past.

Gloria Swanson, who married Philip Schneider in 2018, recently told Women’s Health that while she didn’t specifically plan to wait until age 47 to get pregnant, it felt like the perfect moment. She explained that everything aligned, and it was the right time for many reasons.

Gwen Stefani and Hilary Swank aren’t alone in having children later in life. Many celebrities have become mothers after turning 40. Here’s a look at some of them:

Gisele Bündchen, who has two children, Benjamin and Vivian, with her former husband Tom Brady, had a son with Joaquim Valente in early 2025 when she was 44 years old. She and Valente, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor, got married that December.

Gisele hasn’t revealed much about her new baby, including the child’s name, but she mentioned trying a different exercise plan to get back in shape after her third child.

In a February 2026 Instagram post showcasing her Pilates exercises, she shared that they’d helped her regain core strength after her third pregnancy. She added that she wished she’d discovered them sooner, as she hadn’t done them during her previous pregnancies.

The Academy Award-winning actress, 48, and her husband, Philip Schneider, became parents to twins – Aya and Ohm – in 2023.

Hilary shared with Women’s Health that she wished she’d had children earlier, though she didn’t intentionally wait until age 47. She had frozen her eggs a decade before becoming pregnant, and felt that having a child at that point in her life was perfect timing for many reasons, marking a special culmination of things.

She explained that she parents much differently now than she would have even a few years ago. She’s become more patient and understanding, and approaches parenting with a different perspective and level of engagement.

Claire Danes, who already has two sons, Cyrus and Rowan, with her husband Hugh Dancy, was surprised to learn she was pregnant with her third child in her mid-40s.

Claire shared on the Good Hang podcast in January 2026 that she was overcome with emotion when she called her doctor after giving birth to Rowan. Having struggled with fertility previously, she explained it was a complete emotional breakdown, something she hadn’t planned for and didn’t think was even possible at age 44.

Daughter Shay joined the family in 2023.

In a March 2026 interview on Hallow, singer Gwen Stefani of No Doubt shared a painful memory. She explained she desperately wanted another child but was unable to conceive and felt she was too old. Her son, Kingston, then told her he wished she could have a baby, and Stefani sadly explained that her body wouldn’t allow it.

Kingston’s reaction was to begin praying, she detailed.  

Stefani shared that she found out she was pregnant with Apollo about four weeks after a certain event, calling it “a full-on gift.” She also has a son, Zuma, with her ex-husband, Gavin Rossdale, and was 44 years old when she had Apollo naturally.

In May 2021, Jennifer Love Hewitt announced she and her husband, Brian Hallisay, were expecting their third child. Hewitt, 42 at the time, shared the happy news with her fans, saying she was “so excited to finally share” the news.

In 2019, actress Milla Jovovich shared on Instagram that she felt a mix of happiness and fear when she found out she was pregnant 13 weeks prior. This pregnancy came two years after she had an emergency abortion, and at age 43, she was hesitant to become too attached early on, given her age and previous loss. She and her husband, Paul W. S. Anderson, were expecting a child.

Rainbow baby Osian joined older siblings Ever and Dashiel in February 2020. 

Alanis Morissette surprised fans by announcing she was pregnant at age 44. She and her husband, Mario “Souleye” Treadway, who are also parents to their children Ever and Onyx, welcomed their daughter Winter in August 2019.

Rashida Jones, known for her role in Parks & Recreation, and musician Ezra Koenig privately welcomed their son in August 2018. Jones was 42 years old at the time.

At the 2018 Emmy Awards, TopMob News discovered that Benedict Cumberbatch and his wife, Sophie Hunter, were expecting their third child. Sophie was 40 years old at the time. The couple are also parents to sons Christopher, Hal, and Finn.

I was so thrilled when Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley announced they were expecting! After everything they went through with infertility, it was such wonderful news. They finally welcomed their sweet daughter, Skylar, in July 2019, and she’s just the cutest!

Model and reality TV personality Brigitte Nielsen announced in 2018, at age 54, that she was pregnant with her fifth child. Her daughter, Frida, was born in June and joined her older half-siblings: Raoul, Douglas, Killian, and Julian.

In April 2018, actress Rachel Weisz announced she and her husband, Daniel Craig, were expecting their first child. Weisz, then 48 years old, told the New York Times they were thrilled and eagerly awaiting the arrival of their baby. They welcomed their daughter, Grace, in September of that year.

Eva Longoria welcomed her son, Santi, with her husband José Bastón in June 2018. She was 43 years old at the time.

Tori Spelling and her then-husband, Dean McDermott, welcomed their fifth child in March 2017. Tori was 43 years old at the time.

Audra McDonald, a six-time Tony Award winner, jokingly credited tap dancing with helping her get pregnant with her second child – and first with her husband, Will Swenson. She was 45 years old and performing in the Broadway show Shuffle Along at the time.

After ending her Unbreakable Tour, singer Janet Jackson discovered she was pregnant with her first child at the age of 49. She and her husband welcomed their son, Eissa, in early 2017.

In 2016, Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling, who had welcomed their first daughter, Esmeralda, almost two years prior, expanded their family with the birth of their second daughter, Amada. Eva was 42 years old at the time.

Rachel Zoe, who later became known as a star on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, had her second son, Kaius, in December 2013. She had welcomed her first son, Skyler, two years earlier.

Halle Berry, the Academy Award-winning actress, had her daughter Nahla when she was 41 years old. In 2013, five years later, she welcomed her son, Maceo.

In November 2010, actress Kelly Preston and her husband, John Travolta, welcomed a son named Benjamin. This came two years after the tragic loss of their teenage son, Jett, and gave older sister Ella a little brother.

Actress Brooke Shields and her husband, Chris Henchy, welcomed their second daughter, Grier, in 2006. Brooke was 41 years old at the time, and they were already parents to Rowan.

Madonna, the singer of “Material Girl,” was just five days away from turning 42 when her son, Rocco, was born in 2000. She is now a mother to six children: Lourdes, David, Mercy, Stella, Estere, and Rocco.

In 2011, Tina Fey, the star of 30 Rock, and her husband, Jeff Richmond, welcomed their second daughter, Penelope Athena. They also have another daughter, Alice, who was born six years earlier.

Mariah Carey says her twins, Monroe and Moroccan, give her so much love, and she wouldn’t be who she is today without them. She also feels she and her ex-husband, Nick Cannon, have successfully co-parented while maintaining a friendship, which has allowed them to communicate effectively.

In 2007, actress Marcia Cross, known for her role in Desperate Housewives, and her husband, Tom Mahoney, became parents to twin daughters, Eden and Savannah, just before Marcia turned 45.

Julianne Moore, known for her role in Crazy, Stupid, Love, had her second child, Liv, in 2002 when she was 42 years old. She and her husband, Bart Freundlich, were also parents to their son, Caleb.

Actress Salma Hayek became a mother at age 41, welcoming her daughter Valentina with businessman François-Henri Pinault. This made her one of Hollywood’s celebrated moms.

Nicole Kidman, who has two children, Bella and Connor, with ex-husband Tom Cruise, welcomed her first biological daughter, Sunday, with then-husband Keith Urban in 2008 at age 41. Their second daughter, Faith, was born via gestational surrogate in 2010.

Susan Sarandon had her first child, Eva Amurri, in 1985 with filmmaker Franco Amurri. Later, she had two sons, Jack and Miles, with actor Tim Robbins, welcoming Jack at age 42 and Miles at 45.

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2026-03-11 01:48