This first-person account draws from a discussion with Marta Milans and has been adjusted for brevity and flow.

I tied the knot in 2021. Soon after, a natural pregnancy occurred, but it turned out to be ectopic. Physicians identified uterine issues requiring attention.

Determined not to delay, I began IVF right away.

Treatment took place in Spain at Equipo Juana Crespo, where Dr. Crespo identified the core problem. Several procedures prepared my body, followed by consecutive IVF cycles aimed at securing a viable embryo. Two were transferred in hopes that one would implant successfully.

My Daughter Arrived When I Turned 42

Our baby girl was born as I reached 42. Now 18 months old, she is everything I dreamed of and more.

The isolation of IVF caught me off guard, along with its heavy impact on both body and spirit. Reactions vary, yet the hormones altered my sense of reality and pulled me into a deep low. Finding hope felt nearly impossible at times.

Vertigo struck, sleep vanished, weight dropped sharply, and dark thoughts emerged. My entire demeanor shifted. Even with a supportive partner, the burden of voicing these changes falls on the person experiencing them, since others cannot grasp the mental turmoil.

I contacted my medical team to explain that I refused to risk my life just to become a parent.

Another IVF Cycle Lies Ahead

Only two embryos existed, and both were used. Any future child would therefore demand fresh IVF efforts.

After losing my grandmother, her parting words offered comfort: she promised to send a baby girl from above. I chose to hold onto that belief.

Now eager for a second child, we must repeat the process, though this time I feel better equipped.

Age affects ovarian reserves and egg quality, making later parenthood more demanding. Still, these topics deserve open conversation rather than silent endurance.

Careers and Children Can Coexist Later in Life

Stigma surrounds older motherhood, yet choosing a career first should not lead to later penalties for wanting children. I secured a strong role on Peacock's series M.I.A. while just three and a half months postpartum. At the same time, wildfires forced us from our Malibu home. Testing for the part required a return to Los Angeles, followed by a family relocation to Miami and filming that began two weeks later.

Breast pumping happened in my trailer, with milk stored for my four-month-old. Early call times at 4:45 a.m. combined with nighttime wake-ups for my daughter. My husband and I managed together. A network of women, friends, my mother, and my grandmother's memory provided essential support that made everything possible.

Becoming a mother showed me that anything is achievable. Having brought a child into the world, I now feel limitless.