Her oldest daughter may be 22, but it sounds like Reese Witherspoon has some strong memories from her early days as a new mom. During an appearance on The View on Wednesday, the 45-year-old actress talked about how hard she struggled in the first few months of parenting her daughter, Ava, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Ryan Phillippe.
Reese talked about her experiences as a young mom during her appearance on the talk show
The Legally Blonde actress was only 23 when she had her first child, which she says played a role in how difficult dealing with those early newborn days were. "I didn't know what to do when the baby cried all night," she explained. "I didn't understand what sleep training was. Ava was up all night until she was probably 7 months old because I just didn't understand not to keep feeding her, because I thought she was hungry all the time."
In addition to being so young, Reese also lacked a support network
Reese had relocated to California to become a movie star, and she didn't really have any close friends or family who could help out. "I lived away from my mother," she recalled. "My mom had a full-time job as a nurse, and I had a baby really young, so I was raising her by myself."
Not only was her mom far away, but so was anyone else who could step in and help. "I don't have any sisters, I don't have any aunts," she explained. "I was alone in a new city, in Los Angeles, and I literally had no friends. I would cry."
The mother of three also shared some sage advice with viewers
After opening up about her own struggles, Reese had a supportive message for moms who are currently in the thick of it. "I just want to say you're going to get through it," she said. "It's so hard, but try to find a network of friends. Reach out to people โ don't be afraid. It's very hard. You can't do it by yourself."
So many mothers talk about how lonely parenting is, especially in the early days, so Reese's advice really makes sense.
We think she probably knows what she's talking about since she's done the newborn thing a few times now
The proud mama is now a seasoned pro at raising kids. She has three children: Ava and Deacon, the two she shares with her ex-husband, and Tennessee James, whom she welcomed with her current husband, Jim Toth. Since Tennessee is 8 now, it's been a while since Reese has had a newborn at home, but it sounds like those early days made a huge impression on her, which is likely why she's speaking out about her parenting struggles now.
This isn't the first time Reese has talked about parenting
Back in August, Reese appeared on Dax Shepard's podcast, Armchair Expert, and spoke about how she became delirious after all the sleepless nights with Ava. "I was lucky enough to have money saved and I didn't have to work, but it's just not a one-person job," she recalled. "I would even say it's not a two-person job."
Openly talking about the struggles of parenting is such an important thing for moms to do. It helps other mothers feel less alone when they also struggle. We hope Reese keeps sharing her story, and that those who need to hear it get a chance to listen.
