In 2022, Hilary Swank announced she was pregnant with twins at age 48, sparking conversations around the risks of pregnancy after age 35.
Now, Swank is pregnant again at 52. She announced her pregnancy in an Instagram reel with the caption: “A lot of people have been asking what project I’m doing next, this one releases in December.”
Pregnancies at 35 or older have traditionally been classified as “advanced maternal age” by the medical community. Studies have linked older pregnancies to a higher risk of complications and health problems such as high blood pressure and chromosomal abnormalities. Research suggests that the risk increases with age.
In 2024, Swank, then 50, told Business Insider that she’s glad she had kids at 48.
“The person that I was in my 20s and even into my 30s would’ve been a very different mom than I am now,” Swank, who is also the Chief Innovation Officer of HealthyBaby, said.
Swank said there were many benefits to being an older parent, such as more time and flexibility to really show up for her kids.
She loves her work flexibility
Swank told Business Insider that she took the first year and a half off for maternity leave (the average length of maternity leave in the US is three months). She also didn’t feel rushed to go back to work, waiting for an opportunity that seemed right.
Swank said having more time with her kids is crucial. “I just had three and a half hours of sleep, and I haven’t really seen my babies, and that’s really hard,” she said. “It makes me really empathize with all the parents out there who are working really long hours who don’t get to see their children.”
She has more mental energy to devote to her kids
Swank said she doesn’t have to focus on herself as much as she did in her 20s and 30s, when she was getting her acting career off the ground. It’s given her the space to prioritize her kids’ needs.
“I’m in a place where I just have a lot more patience and a lot more grace to give, not just my children, but others around me,” she said. “I can give them so much more than I could have at that point.”
She feels more comfortable with herself
One of the best things about getting pregnant in her late forties was Swank’s comfort with herself.
“The things that you used to care about don’t take front and center anymore,” she said. “You’re on to new places in your life and it’s a beautiful place to be.”
Swank isn’t the only one who feels this way: other older parents say they had more time to figure themselves out before they had kids. Even Swank’s mom misses her 40s.
“If she could go back to any time, it would be 45 — she felt her best,” Swank said. “And I hear a lot of women say that.”
