Edie Falco hit the big time for her role on The Sopranos, but this achievement pales in comparison to becoming a mom. Edie welcomed four-year-old Anderson and 16-month-old Macy via adoption, an experience she found a little overwhelming!

“You can’t believe you’re being left alone with this infant. ‘Don’t they know I don’t know what I’m doing?’ Losing sleep. Up to that point it had been all about me, ‘Oh, I’ll get another massage.’ And all of a sudden there’s this screaming thing in your house and that’s what your whole life is. That was huge,” she explained, adding that motherhood “made me realize that I can show up for the responsibility.”

“In the beginning I thought, ‘I don’t know what the hell I’ve done. And there’s no way I can follow through on this.’ Meanwhile I got up every morning and I changed his diaper and I fed him his bottle, took him to his doctor’s appointments. I did all the stuff day-by-day gritting my teeth, I guess thinking this is what you do until it turns into a life that grows roots in the ground and becomes this whole living thing.”

A year into raising Anderson, Edie said she “realized he needs a sibling and I want another kid. I started the process again. And you start with the diapers and formula and you’re back at it again,” she laughed.

While it may be trying at times, Edie says she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“The first time realizing I’m actually a mother is just huge. Even when I say it now all these years later it still comes over me like a wave. Huge!”

Image source: INF

They say motherhood changes a person, and Jill Scott definitely won’t argue. The actress and singer said she feels “reborn,” adding that “giving birth is such a cleansing experience that I feel like a brand new woman.”

Her pregnancy was a trial at times, but the five weeks she’s shared with her son Jett since have been “incredible from start to finish.”

“It might sound clichéd, but I never thought I would have as much love for anyone as I do for my new baby,” she explained in the latest issue of Black Voices. “I feel so loving and full of life.”

After being raised by “very strong women,” Jill has set the bar high for herself.

“I always hoped that I would make a strong and amazing mother,” she shared. But she acknowledges that she has much to learn before getting there.

“I’ve been forced to be much more responsible and thoughtful about life, in general, and how everything affects my baby. It’s been a wonderful growing experience though.”

Although Jett is young, Jill has already started to think about balancing motherhood and her flourishing career. One thing’s certain though: baby comes first.

“To balance it all will be hard, but my son always comes first and then everything else comes after.”

Jett is Jill’s son with drummer Lil Jon Roberts.

Image source: Zuma Press

When Dara Torres walked away from the pool after the 2000 Olympic Games, she never imagined what would come next. The now 42-year-old gave birth to a daughter, Tessa Grace, came out of retirement to swim at the Beijing Olympics, and took home three medals!

But the American swimmer admits she definitely felt “guilty” about ending her retirement.

“I can’t say it wasn’t hard, because it was … I would call the nanny every 10 minutes,” she admitted.

With the upcoming World Championships next on the agenda, Dara’s learned to manage the guilt by keeping Tessa involved.

“That really helps out a lot,” she explained. “I want to do well and eventually share this with her. I know there’s a lot of moms out there who put their careers on hold because of having children. It’s very easy to find a balance between what works best for you and what works best for them.”

Image source: PR Photos

Diana Krall’s latest album Quiet Nights comes from a peaceful place, and it’s little wonder. It seems life has changed for the jazz singer since she become a mother to two-year-old twins Dexter and Frank.

“I’m just really happy,” she told USA Today, adding “I didn’t have just [music] to focus on; I always looked forward to the end of the day, when I saw my kids. So the whole process was a joyful one, very natural, not at all self-conscious.”

But music is the focus once again as Diana prepares to embark on a summer tour to promote her new CD. Thankfully the transition will be made easier by taking the little ones along for the ride.

“I’m a stay-at-home mom as much as I can be,” Diana said, noting that the twins “started touring at 6 months old and were on a bus through Europe last summer.”

When they’re not on the road, the twins are left in the capable hands of their father, Elvis Costello. But it doesn’t make the separation that much easier!

“It’s torture to leave them, but I know they’re with Elvis,” she admitted.

It’s clear that the Grammy-award winner is cherishing motherhood.

“I’m such a big kid myself. I’m a great meal planner; I get up and make pancakes and we all sit and talk. They love certain films and books; now they’re discovering dinosaurs. They’re just the most delightful beings.”

Dexter and Frank are the first children for the couple, who married in 2003. Quiet Nights is available now.

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As a mother of three, Kelli Williams said she had a little insider knowledge for her role on the new crime series Lie to Me. Ten-year-old Kiran, seven-year-old Sarame, and five-year-old Ravi have a hard time pulling the wool over their mama’s eyes!

“I feel like mothers already have that ability [to catch out lies]. That third eye in the back of our head so we always know what our kids are doing,” she shared.

But she’s no confident about her ability to outsmart her kids as they get older! She adds that as they become teenagers she suspects “they will try to get better at it [lying].”

Hopefully Kelli will have had enough practice then to uncover any sneakiness!

Image source: PR Photos

Salma Hayek says it’s hard to have a bad day with a cutie-pie daughter like 17-month-old Valentina around!

“I’m very lucky to have wonderful things in my life,” she admitted to InStyle magazine. “If I’m having a bad day, I just think about my child or my dogs. I don’t need to go to a character’s life to feel happy.”

She brings so much joy to Salma’s life, but it’s a little bittersweet as the proud mama watches her tot grow. She revealed that on a recent trip to FAO Schwarz her little girl toddled off to explore with her nanny.

“Today was the first time Valentina went off to do something big without me. I wanted to cry, but I didn’t,” she said.

Salma says she finds herself “discover[ing] something new about her every day.” And she’s learning it in three languages! The tot has picked up her mother’s Spanish, her father François-Henri Pinault’s French, and English!

“She is unique, magical - definitely the most colorful person I’ve ever met,” she gushed. “I feel so connected to her, but at the same time, we are completely different.”

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Melanie Brown may be able to give her children every luxury money can buy, but the Spice Girl is determined not to spoil 10-year-old Phoenix and 23-month-old Angel. She says her girls have learned “responsibility early” adding that,

“Phoenix has chores to do and I make sure Angel tidies up after herself,” she says.

She might be raising her little ones in Los Angeles, but she’s taking extra care to ensure they aren’t like all the other kids on the block.

“They won’t end up being Hollywood children, down [at the] shops using mum’s credit card,” she promises.

She might be a tough mama, but her girls do enjoy a treat every now and then. Mel B recently bought Phoenix her “first pay-as-you-go [cell] phone,” but she must stay on top on those chores if she hopes to use it!

“So if she does her chores and is good, she gets pocket money, so she can afford to top it up.”

While Melanie makes sure her girls stay grounded, she adds that they’re also raised with plenty of love.

“My kids are loved — not spoiled,” she shares. Of course she wonders whether her rules will come back to haunt her once her girls are grown!

“If [Phoenix]’s anything like I was, then I’ll be in for quite a ride — I was a big handful,” she revealed.

Uh-oh!

Phoenix is Melanie’s daughter with dancer Jimmy Gulzar; Angel is her daughter with actor Eddie Murphy.

This decade has been a dramatic one for Gwyneth Paltrow to say the least! She lost her father Bruce Paltrow to throat cancer in 2002, married Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin in 2003, and had her first child, daughter Apple, in 2004!

Gwyneth said that these three pivotal events opened her eyes to the world she was missing. So much so that two years later, she added a son, Moses, to the family!

“I thought, ‘There’s actually a real life to be had here that has nothing to do with Hollywood and all of these people and all of this negativity,’” Gwyneth told the Independent. “I was very happy being a mother for three years, and I honestly didn’t know if the fire would ever come back.”

But come back it did! Gwyneth’s role in the action blockbuster Iron Man reignited her love of acting. Not that it was always easy!

“It was hard for me some days,” she admitted. “I would think, ‘Oh my God, they’re in the bath right now and I’m not there!’ and I would cry in my trailer.”

But sticking with the project, even when it was tough, was important for the working mom of two.

“I realized that it’s okay for me to want to express this part of myself. It’s why I’m here. I’ll never go back to exploiting it the way that I did. What I have at home was too precious. I also think I have more respect for myself now, so I’ll do things that feel right to me as opposed to trying to please other people.”

And it doesn’t look like Gwyneth’s looking back. Her latest film Two Lovers is in theatres now.

Image source: Bauer-Griffin

Some women are natural mothers, while others like Felicity Huffman take some time to adjust. Felicity says she’s still figuring it out, so she finds it amusing that at 46 she’s now playing moms on screen.

“I thought that maybe it’s my age, or maybe it’s a little gift or joke from God: ‘That thing that you struggle with so mightily, well, I want you to do it in your professional career as well,” she told the LA Times. “I did not enter into motherhood with any sense of equanimity or grace.

“I’m surrounded by women who are much better mothers than I am, and they come to it much more naturally.”

Felicity said that when she welcomed her eight-year-old daughter Sofia she felt her heart “break open.”

“I felt unequal to the task,” she explained. “I felt like I was moving from mistake to mistake, sleep-deprived forever.”

She admits that having Sofia and nearly seven-year-old Georgia Grace has brought her great joy, but adds that she doesn’t believe “happiness is anything like finding the perfect pair of black pants and breakfast in bed.”

Many actors bring their children on set, but it sounds like Felicity enjoys her space!

“I’m not good at that multi-tasking thing: kids, conversation, kids, work. I find that very difficult. Also there is sort of a rarefied air around a set, which is weird.”

Her message to other parents struggling to “do it all,” is simple.

”Know your story, the story you have told yourself about your past … the decisions you have made.” That way, Felicity says, “at least when you are inflicting your unconscious or your views, you are a little bit aware of it.”

Sofia and Georgia are Felicity’s children with husband William H. Macy.

Image source: splashnewsonline.com

When Keisha Castle-Hughes became pregnant at 16, it caused a public outcry. But now the scandal has died down, Keisha can concentrate on her most important role: that of mom to 22-month-old Felicity-Amore.

The energetic toddler is definitely keeping her actress mom on her toes!

“She’s not shy … Mum says it’s payback,” Keisha told the LA Times.

Keisha is in town to recharge her acting career, and her fiance Brad Hull is along for the ride. The couple became engaged in December 2007, but they have no immediate plants to tie the knot.

“As far as I’m concerned, we’re life partners,” Keisha, who will be 19 this month, said.

Brad’s flexible schedule as a plasterer allows him to care for Felicity, which means Keisha has more time to dedicate to her craft. If they need to, the actress says she’ll move to America, but she doesn’t sound too keen to leave home just yet!

“I’d love to stay in New Zealand and work from there, but it’s really difficult to commute 12 hours with a 2-year-old.”

I can only imagine!

Image source: Newscom