Parenting

Salma Talks About Motherhood on Oprah

Salma Hayek spoke to Oprah yesterday about being pregnant, baby weight and spoiling baby Valentina.
A month ago, there were rumors that the first time mom wanted a boy instead of a girl.
Salma cleared up what she meant by saying, she initially didn’t care about the sex of her baby and was more worried about how she’d do as a mother.

“Then I remembered how hard it is to be a woman,” she says. “And I chickened out, and I said, ‘Oh, my God, I hope I get a boy.’ Because I just think they have it easier.”

A doctor had told her she was having a boy, but then she learned she was actually going to have a girl. Salma says she then realized that she’d wanted a girl all along.

“I remember when they told me it was a boy I was a little disappointed. So I think I really wanted a girl or I knew it was a girl. And then when she was born, I was so happy,” Salma says. “Having a girl is the best.”

The name “Valentina” means “courageous one” in Spanish. Not wanting it to sound to ‘revolutionary’, Salma decided to compensate with a second name that’s a little softer. “So I named her ‘Paloma,’ which means ‘dove’ in Spanish. She’s a ‘courageous dove.'”

Is Valentina spoiled?

“She is so spoiled,” Salma says. “And I will not apologize for it.”

Because she developed gestational diabetes while she was pregnant, her pregnancy wasn’t enjoyable.

Salma also found that breast feeding didn’t help her loose the baby weight.

“The pregnancy was really difficult for me. I thought, ‘As soon as this baby’s out, I’m just going to lose all the weight superfast because I’m going to breast-feed, and everybody tells you if you breast-feed, [the weight] is going to come off,'” she says. “It’s a lie; It’s not true.”

Her main concern was losing the weight properly.

“There are shortcuts, but it’s not good for the baby,” she says. “So I’m taking my time. I’ve lost a lot—most of the weight—and I’m very proud of it because it’s been really hard work studying what can I eat that’s healthy. But I’m still losing, even if it’s slow. … And the rest is going to go when it’s time to go.”

I love her honesty. It is important for real moms to know that the weight does not come off in two weeks like some celebrities seem to think.

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About the author

Lisa Arneill

Founder of Growing Your Baby and World Traveled Family. Canadian mom of 2 boys, photo addict, lover of bulldogs, and museumgoer. Always looking for our next vacation spot!

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