14 of Eva Mendes's Most Empowering Quotes About Motherhood

Updated on March 6, 2017 at 9:00 PM

Actress Eva Mendes might have kept both of her pregnancies totally secret, managing to hide from paparazzi and never confirm she was having boyfriend Ryan Gosling's children, but she's surprisingly open about the struggles of parenting when she steps out for talk-show appearances or gives magazine interviews.

From "I'm completely exhausted. I thought my wild nights were over but these are some of the wildest nights I've ever had" to chatting about her Cuban family totally taking over her house when they come to help out for the day, scroll ahead to read Eva's most empowering and candid quotes about being a mom to Esmeralda and Amada.

On Her 2 Daughters

"They definitely come with their own stuff and it's pretty great. I feel like my job is just to get out of their way, and protect them, but let them be who they are."
"We love Hunchback of Notre Dame. We loved the name [Esmeralda], the cartoon, and the novel, you know — it just kind of kept coming back to us. It's actually a very popular Latin name so it's easy for my father and certain family members that still don't speak English to pronounce. That was a good selling point."
"Well, I have two girls. That's a lot. It's early for me to make any big statement about having children. My older little girl is not yet 2 years old. My little one is still an infant, and right now it's really about surviving those nights and trying to enjoy this time as much as possible with them, and start the bond between Esmeralda and Amada. It's a really, really special time. I'm loving it."
"My grandmother's name is Amada, and Esmeralda Amada is the name of our oldest. We had a few names picked out for our new baby, and when she was born, we didn't feel like those names were her. We came up with a few more, even that morning, and tried them out. We were like, 'What about Viviana?' But we just kept going back to Amada. In true Latin fashion, we reuse names all the time. I used to know five sisters that were all Maria del Carmen, Maria Elena, Maria Liliana . . . "

On the Struggles of Parenting

"I think basically the bar is just lower. If I even get dressed today it's an accomplishment . . . I really do think that in a way that is true for me. It's just about speed now. What can I get into the fastest? What am I going to feel secure in?"
"We're getting the hang of it, the sleeping thing, but I'm exhausted and it's the best . . . Really, I'm so incredibly tired. I thought I was tired before at times, but no, nothing like this. But I wouldn't have it any other way."
"I'm completely exhausted. I thought my wild nights were over but these are some of the wildest nights I've ever had."
"I think I'm just exhausted as a new mom. Maybe you're mistaking that for being calm."
"I'm doing it without a nanny for now but I'm open to the idea of having a nanny in the future. Esmeralda has two amazing grandmothers and incredible aunties who come over and really help me. But as far as a nanny or a night nurse, for me that part of being a mother at this early stage is the struggle of not being able to sleep and not knowing what I'm doing and really going through it with her and battling out those nights."

On Her Family's Influence

"It's like a takeover. The Cubans are coming. It's amazing. They take the baby, there's food, the dishes are done. It's a beautiful takeover."
"We're constantly playing Cuban music. I speak to them in Spanish, and my mom speaks to Esmeralda in Spanish. Well, now she speaks to both of them in Spanish. Any time I have an opportunity to introduce her or them — I have to say 'them' now, though my newborn just sleeps all the time — to my culture, whether it's through music or through food, I do. That is a main priority, for sure."
"When my mom and sisters visit, they take over the house. They take my baby! They start cleaning everything! They sound like a bunch of hyenas, yelling in Spanish, English, Spanglish. They sing [my daughter Esmeralda] all these Cuban nursery songs that I forgot my mom used to sing to me. They're like a raucous crew . . . It's incredible. I really appreciate my family, now more than ever. I'm so happy that my little girl gets to grow up with this."
"Yes. I try not to Google too many things because it is frightening but I do go to babycenter.com and read the comment sections from other mothers because I find so much solace in that. Just knowing that I'm not alone out there and that other moms have gone through the same thing can at least get me through the night."
"People always told me that. But I've learned that it's way harder to be a baby. Everything is a struggle for her. For instance, I haven't thrown up since the '90s and she's thrown up twice since we started this interview. Motherhood is cake compared to what it's like to be a baby."