Eva Longoria’s powerful comments about choosing motherhood after 40

Eva Longoria gave birth to her son Santiago Enrique Bastón when she was 43 years old, and in a new interview for the cover of Parents Latina, Longoria explains that her 40s was the perfect decade to become a parent.

“He was meant to be with me at this stage in my life,” she explains. “I’m more patient, and I don’t work as much—even though it doesn’t seem that way!”

Longoria is part of a growing number of women embracing motherhood in their 40s. Celebrities like Joanna Gaines and Gabrielle Union have made headlines for welcoming babies after 40, but according to the CDC they are hardly unique: Between 2007 and 2011, the birth rate for women aged 40-44 went up 10%. And more recent numbers released in May 2019 show that while birth rates have been declining for nearly all age groups of women under 40, they’re up for women in their early 40s.

One of the obvious reasons for this is that more women are now establishing their careers before committing to parenting. For Longoria, her time with Santiago (now 13 months) comes after decades of hard work ask an actress, director and producer.

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Longoria is in control of her career and is passionate about the work she does, but that doesn’t mean going back to work at six weeks postpartum was easy. “Going back to work was hard. Breastfeeding while working was hard, just for the timing of the pumping and the feedings and the sleeping and the not sleeping,” she tells Parents Latina.”You just do it and get it done.”

Santiago has been able to be with his mom on set for a lot of the first year of his life, which has made getting it done a little easier.

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