9 Celebrity Moms Who Got Real About Welcoming Children Later In Life

Read on to hear what these celebs said about becoming moms…

1. Hoda Kotb

Hoda Kotb adopted her two daughters while she was in her 50s and although she loves being an older mom, she admits she's faced some criticism. She recently shared that a "TODAY" viewer sent her a handwritten letter, condemning her for welcoming children later in life. Hoda admits she was astounded that someone took the time to write such a scathing note.

"I opened the letter, and it was something along the lines of 'How dare you bring a child into this world at your age? Don't you know what you're doing to that child?' It went on and on. It took my breath away because that actually was my 'ouch.' I was scared, like, 'Is this something that is smart for me to do, and am I helping or am I ultimately going to be harming?'" Hoda shared.

She ultimately reflected on her late father, whom she lost while she was in college, and how it was so important she had him, even if it was just for a short time. She explained, "I know the foundation he left. I know it was worth every second of that time."

2. Eva Longoria

Eva Longoria welcomed her son when she was 43 and believes the little boy came at a perfect time in her life. Although she may be older than some parents, she says her age has helped her become more patient and gave her the ability to spend more time with him.

"Santi was meant to be with me at this stage in my life. I'm patient, I don't work as much -- even if it doesn’t seem that way! It's the right time," she shared with Parents after welcoming her son.

3. Diane Kruger

Diane Kruger became a mom for the first time at 42, and looking back, she says she probably wouldn't have been ready any sooner. She admits that earlier in life, she may have felt "resentful" of all the work that goes into parenting, but she's now happy to do it all.

"I am so glad I did not have a kid at 30. I think I would have absolutely resented it for all the things that you have to give up, because today I am happy to do so," Diane told Sunday Telegraph. "I have been to every party, I have been to every country that I wanted to visit. So I'm 100 percent ready and willing to give my kid that attention. But at 30, I know I would not have been ready to do this properly."

4. Halle Berry

Halle Berry was 41 when she gave birth to her first child and welcomed her second at 47. For Halle, waiting until her 40s was the right choice for her, explaining that she knows herself much better now than when she was younger.

"You're so much more ready to be a parent after 40 than when you're 20. You know yourself better. You've done a lot of things for yourself, selfishly. When you wait later in life, you can really put your kids forward I think in a more meaningful way," she told Us Weekly.

5. Geena Davis

Geena Davis welcomed both of her children in her 40s and says it was "exactly" the right time for her. Not only did she wait to find the right partner, but she also feels that she had a lot more of her life figured out.

"I felt 100 percent that I would be such a better parent than I would have been even five years earlier and certainly 10 or 20 years earlier," Genna told Good Housekeeping. "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."

6. Cameron Diaz

After welcoming her daughter at 47, Cameron Diaz says she wants to live to be "110" so that they can grow old together. Although she admits she's "the oldest mom in [her] group of girlfriends with kids," she says she's lucky to be in her situation.

"I'm lucky to be my age, lucky to have those girlfriends, lucky to have my daughter, lucky to have all the support I do raising her," she shared on the "Goop" podcast.

7. Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman was already a mom to two children when she expanded her family by two more when she was in her 40s. Looking to her future, Nicole says that as an "older mother," she hopes to be around for a long time to watch her children thrive.

"It makes me sad. I would just like to be here long enough to have my children grow up and for me to see them thriving. That's all I ask," Nicole shared on "CBS Sunday Morning." "I'm an older mother, so, you know…It's that prayer of, 'Gosh, let me be here.'"

8. Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek, who welcomed her daughter in her 40s, says that by deciding to become a parent later in life, she's more patient and appreciative of their time together. By waiting, her daughter now gets a "better mother."

"I'm a more fulfilled human being now, and I probably wouldn't have been 10 years ago. She gets a better mother for being born now," she told Grow by WebMD. "I feel that I've done enough things in life where I can appreciate the time I spend with her as my No. 1 priority and not feel I'm missing out on something…I feel I'm a lot more patient. I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world."

9. Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton waited until she was in her 50s to become a mom and adopt her two children. Although she knows it must be strange for her kids to have an “older parent,” she knows she can be a better mom to them at this age.

"My life went a certain way and suddenly I was 50 with no purpose and I wanted a family," she shared with Ladies' Home Journal. "In some ways my children are lucky because I'm much less self-involved now. But they know they have this older parent, and that must be odd for them."