Reese Witherspoon: I had no support in the first few months of motherhood

28 August 2021

Reese Witherspoon had to “muscle through” the first few months of motherhood because she had no “support”.

Reese Witherspoon

The 45-year-old actress is mother to daughter Ava, 21, and sons Deacon, 17, and Tennessee, eight, and has said she didn’t feel supported when she welcomed her daughter into the world.

She told the ‘Armchair Expert’ podcast: "I did not have a lot of support with my first baby and I learned really early, like this is not going to work. I tried to muscle through for five months with Ava, just not sleeping and I became delirious.

“I was lucky enough to have money saved and I didn't have to work but it's just not a one-person job. I would even say it's not a two-person job."

Meanwhile, the ‘Big Little Lies’ star – who has Ava and Deacon with her ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, and Tennessee with her spouse Jim Toth – recently said she loves and cherishes the relationship she has with her kids, admitting they help her to "understand the complexities of what it means to be a human now".

She explained: "I never expected the kind of relationship that I have with them, but it's so rewarding to be able to have kids that you can process life with a little bit, and they help me understand the complexities of what it means to be a human now."

Reese also said she feels "grateful" that her kids are such a huge part of her life.

She added: "I'm really, really grateful that these little humans are in my life. Adult humans."

The ‘Cruel Intentions’ actress previously said she was "terrified" when she got pregnant for the first time at 22.

She said: "I got pregnant when I was 22 years old. And I didn't know how to balance work and motherhood. You just do it, you know? I'd made movies but I hadn't, you know, established myself as someone who could demand that it shoot close to my kids' school or, you know, I didn't have any real power, leverage within my industry. I was just like every other mom trying to figure it out - and dad out there, and partner, and grandparent who's raising a child."