Jessica Alba Finds Motherhood Overwhelming

Suddenly, famous mothers have stopped falsely prosthelytizing and have started being honest about their struggles with motherhood in a way that makes them seem softer and more relatable. Jessica Alba covers InStyle Australia January and talks about how she made poor diet choices and was more overwhelmed with her first pregnancy but she’s eased in a little with the second. Jennifer Garner admits similar in American InStyle this month, saying she lost her identity when she became a mother. Alba’s interview’s below (I’ve cherry-picked mom quotes).

On her pregnancy fashion: ‘I didn’t want to feel frumpy,’ she told InStyle Aus January 2012. ‘I still wanted to feel beautiful, elegant, chic and playful-if I could. Especially because you feel so sick, hot, achey, swollen and all of those wonderful things that come with being pregnant.’
On losing weight for each pregnancy: ‘[When I was pregnant] with Honor, I didn’t make the healthiest choices when it came to eating. All of a sudden, I had gained over [66 pounds]. I stopped weighing myself after that. With Haven I didn’t gain as much, so [afterward] I was closer to where I felt comfortable in my own skin.’ She also works out with a personal trainer three times a week, often alongside Cash. ‘It’s fun and another way we get to spend time together.’
On being overwhelmed, even with the help of a nanny: ‘It’s overwhelming. I don’t consider myself a lot of the time. I think a lot of mums do that, try to be everything to everyone all the time. I make mistakes. I do try to do way too much.’
On the difference a second time around: ‘I’m more relaxed. Every sneeze or runny nose or little bump on the head that would have freaked me out before… I am more easygoing with that sort of thing. And the sense of knowing that I can get Haven to stop crying. It was all new with Honor and I wasn’t confident, and she could feel that so she continued to cry. That didn’t happen a lot, but when it happened I felt like I would crack.’
On husband Cash Warren as a father: ‘He’s totally great and a real hands-on dad. He’s just such a nice, good person…His biggest thing is that he doesn’t like the idea of them growing up and dating! He’s kidding, but I can tell he’s kind of thinking of the future already.’