Everything Claire Danes Said About Having a Baby in Your 40s and Becoming a Mother

Claire Danois Unexpectedly, she became a mother of three after welcoming another child at the age of 44.

The Danes – who were 43 at the time – confirmed in January 2023 that she was pregnant with her and her husband That of Hugh Dancy third baby. The couple married in 2009 and welcomed son Cyrus in 2012 and son Rowan in 2018.

“I think [this is] the last one! This one was a surprise,” the actress shared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon after the news was announced. “This pregnancy happened to me, but we’re excited that Cyrus is 10 and Rowan is 4, so it’s going to be quite a long time there.”

Danes later revealed she felt “shame” after get pregnant in your 40s.

“Well, it was actually really interesting because I hadn’t planned on that at all. And it was weird. Suddenly I felt a weird sense of shame,” she said in a November 2025 episode of the show. “Less intelligent” podcast. “I was naughty. I had been caught fornicating beyond the point where I was supposed to. No, it was weird, and it was like I had discovered an advantage that I wasn’t really aware of.”

The Danes and Dancy welcomed their youngest daughter in July 2023.

Keep scrolling to see everything Danes said about motherhood and having a baby in your 40s:

Claire Danes was ‘nervous’ about becoming a working mom

“I always wanted to have kids, but I’m glad I didn’t until now,” Danes said. New idea magazine in a 2013 interview. “When I was thinking about [working and being a mother] initially I was really nervous about it. I think I would make a bad stay-at-home mom.

The Danes stressed that being a stay-at-home mom “just wouldn’t suit her.”

“I feel so lucky, in that I had this focus that I wanted to act,” she told the outlet, noting that she was also grateful to Dancy. “Hugh was the perfect partner for me. I was very lucky. There’s only so much credit you can take when it works, you know?”

What surprised Claire Danes most about motherhood

“That it’s physical – that my son’s disappearance is physical,” she shared in a statement. Interview magazine interview with Dustin Hoffman in November 2013. “It’s a new type of longing. It’s serious – I need to be with him. I guess it’s the closest I’ll get to being infatuated with a lover or something. But it’s not that. It’s cellular. So, yeah, having the love for your child be physical was a big surprise.”

Danes shared that she “can’t not look at” her son, Cyrus, if he’s nearby “because there’s no competition.”

“I can’t read. I can’t watch a show. I can’t do anything but watch him do nothing,” she said. “It’s amazing how quickly he changes. I swear, a day goes by and he’s different. I mean, he grew four teeth in like three days. He understands the concept of no now. He didn’t know that two days ago.”

Claire Danes said being a mum was ‘incredibly difficult’

“Being a mom is an incredibly difficult challenge, but we always feel pressure to talk about it in very romantic terms. And it’s not just that,” she said in a statement. Harper’s Bazaar United Kingdom interview in October 2014. “We all sometimes have this resentment and this anxiety of being trapped by this role, this responsibility. And then chemically, it can cause riots… And there is no ‘off’ button. [For me] it was the hardest adjustment. You always feel indebted to someone… And for so long they’re like koalas, you just feel a physical responsibility to be there for them to hold on to. It’s quite primal.

Claire Danes’ third pregnancy was ‘unintentional’

As she debuted her baby bump at the 2023 Golden Globes, the Dane admitted that getting pregnant with her third child was “not intentional.”

“Eek, I know,” she said Access Hollywood on the red carpet in January 2023. “This one wasn’t intentional. But here it goes! I have Cyrus, he’s 10 and Rowan is 4, and this one, yes. Evenly spaced, but a wide spectrum. We’re excited, we’re thrilled.”

At the time, Danes noted that she was in her second trimester and that she and Dancy were “rolling the dice” on the sex of the baby.

Claire Danes’ sons weren’t thrilled with their new brother at first

“[Our oldest] Cyrus was a little resigned. I mean, the worst has already happened, his name is Rowan,” Danes joked during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “But Rowan has more to lose, he has more at stake. And he was adamantly opposed to the idea. He said, ‘Yeah, no no no, I don’t like it. I like peace, Mom.’ I said to myself: “It’s rich because this guy doesn’t shut up. »

Danes went on to say that Rowan told his mother, “When he comes out of your womb, we’ll give him to a family that doesn’t have a baby because we’re done.” »

“He wasn’t really thrilled, but then we talked about how when the baby comes out it’s going to be pretty stupid. [and] I don’t know much, [and will] I need help and education,” she continued. “It was interesting for him. He liked the idea of ​​being a condescending presence. So now he’s a little more optimistic.

Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy struggled to choose a name for their baby

During the June 2023 premiere of her HBO Max miniseries Full Circle, Danes revealed that she and Dancy hadn’t “found” a name for their third child.

“But you know, we still have a little bit of time,” she said, adding that her other children have “opinions,” but “they’re all pretty absurd.”

Danes also shared that she felt “very knocked up” but had “professional help” getting ready and choosing what to wear for her premiere.

“No, I mean, I had a wonderful time making this project and it’s a joy to celebrate this feature film here,” she exclaimed.

Claire Danes felt a “weird shame” about being pregnant again

In an episode of Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes And Will Arnett “SmartLess” podcast in November 2025, Danes spoke about the internalized stigma she faced after finding out she was pregnant with her third child.

“I was so old when this happened. I was 44,” Danes explained, adding that she “didn’t think it was possible” to get pregnant at that age. “Well, it was actually really interesting because I hadn’t expected that at all. And it was weird. Suddenly I felt a weird sense of shame.”

Danes went on to say that she felt “nasty” and that she had “been caught fornicating beyond the point” and that she was supposed to do it.

“No, it was weird, and it was like I discovered a benefit that I wasn’t really aware of,” she said, adding that now her daughter is 2 and “loves tutu.”

“Pure, like, fusion”

Claire Danes admitted as much during a January 2026 appearance on the show “Good shot» podcast that finding out she was unexpectedly pregnant at 44 caused mixed emotions.

“It was a real meltdown,” Danes admitted, adding, “None of it was intentional. I didn’t know it was physically possible. I was 44.”

Danes added that she was even more surprised given that her son Rowan was “very hard-earned,” noting that she had to do “two rounds of IVF” before getting pregnant.