Source: Angel Cintron / Stephen Nava
Bresha Webb’s pregnancy announcement activated a silent hope in women 40 and over, eager to explore motherhood. In November 2023, the actress and former HelloBeautiful cover star shared the big news on her Instagram page.
“Surprise! Surprise! We’re pregnant!! I’m so excited to announce we have a bun in the oven! Baby Jones coming April 2024! My husband, Nick, and I have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season,” she wrote.
Source: Leon Bennett / Getty
At 39, the first-time mother was about to embark on a journey of a lifetime with her husband, Nick Jones, Jr. On March 21, 2024, the couple welcomed Brave, a healthy baby girl who completed their family of four (Jones has a daughter, McKenzie, from a previous relationship). Three months postpartum, Webb gave me the scoop on how she’s acclimating to her new and impactful role as a mother, the bonding experience of breastfeeding, and how the birth of her daughter keeps the spirit of her father alive.
Bresha Webb froze her eggs thanks to advice she received from a friend who waited too long to have children.
It’s easy for career-driven women to get wrapped up in work, allowing the conversations of starting a family to fall by the wayside. But at 34, Webb decided to freeze her eggs just in case she wanted to explore motherhood later in life.
“I had a conversation with an executive friend of mine, and she gave me great advice that she wished someone would’ve told her. She said, ‘Don’t forget about your life. This business can be rewarding and so exhilarating at times but don’t forget about your life, who you go home to, and your home life.’ She had waited until a certain age and couldn’t have children. That stuck with me,” she says.
That candid discussion led Webb to freezing her eggs, even though she wasn’t interested in having children at the time. Although she was proactive in securing options for the future, the “Run the World” actress says she convinced naturally. “We weren’t trying, per se. It was during the strike, and we were like, oh, this would be a great time to get pregnant. I had no idea I was already pregnant. That’s just the way my God works,” she says.
A woman is considered high-risk for pregnancy once she turns 35. Although women are capable of birthing healthy children well into their 40s (Janet Jackson gave birth at 50, Da Brat gave birth at 49, and Tamron Hall gave birth at 48), there is a stigma about women who want to explore motherhood later in life. While age can contribute to a high-risk pregnancy, Webb says your family history plays a role as well.
“I had a high-risk pregnancy, but you never really realize that until you’re in it. All your family history comes into play. I do have a piece of advice for women in their forties or about to turn 40. Do a good background check of your family and medical history, just so you’re aware. I was already making plans and taking the steps to make sure that I was in good health; both of my parents had heart failure,” she says.
“I was already going to a specialist on my own before I got pregnant ’cause I was like, if I’m going to be putting this much money down on my eggs, let me see if I’m a good candidate. My heart is in good standing,” she continued.
Baby Brave helped Bresha find closure in the passing of her father.
Like a true Aries, Brave entered the world on her own terms. Webb was scheduled to have a C-section, but her daughter made the executive decision to arrive one month earlier than expected. “She was born on the first day of Spring. The great thing about her delivery, which I am super grateful for, is that I was supposed to have a scheduled C-section. And she came on her own day. So, I was able to have contractions. I was able to go through the whole thing—like water breaking the whole thing. And if I had had a scheduled C-section, I wouldn’t have had that,” she says.
“You’re so like an Aries. I love you. You’re so cool,” she says as she reflects on the experience. Webb also notes that the birth of her daughter reinforced the presence of her father, who passed two years ago. His guidance gave her the strength to advocate for herself and her pregnancy.
“I did not expect to see how much of your mother and your father are embedded in your child. As soon as she came out, I saw my father—that was incredible. I was like, wow, this is beautiful. It was like a new gift, like him telling me I’m there,” she says.
“It has helped me find closure in my grief. Even having a high-risk pregnancy and how I advocated for myself and having this inner strength come from my soul to say, ‘No, I’m not doing that. This is what I’m going to do.’ Leaving hospitals and saying, ‘I don’t think you guys have the answer. I’ll go somewhere else.’ I know that was my guardian angel with me, and God guiding me to have a successful delivery,” she continued.
Bresha Webb says breastfeeding and pumping is a unifying experience between a mother and her child.
Developing a new routine with Brave allows the 40-year-old actress to bond with her baby. From the eating/pumping schedule to the gassiness, Webb says it keeps you connected to your little one. In fact, the Baltimore-native says pumping milk and breastfeeding are enriching experiences that she enjoys.
“It’s rewarding to see your baby thrive with what you are providing. She’s getting exactly what you’re putting into it. And it’s something so natural. She latched on immediately, which I know is not everyone else’s story. Yeah. Um, but it was so natural. And, uh, I was just like, wow. Like, that was beautiful. I felt like a woman in that moment, you know?” she says.
“It also helps you snap back. What can be exhausting is trying to figure out the routine. When to pump and how to pump. I want to make sure I have a good supply at all times, so I pump constantly. I talk about it on my page a lot with the Willow brand,” she says.
The Willow Go is a wearable pump thats hands-free, fully in-bra and app-controlled, allowing moms to move around freely while pumping milk for their babies.
Source: Josh Gonzalez / Josh Gonzalez
“It’s so funny because so many people like my mom and people who just had kids maybe two years ago are like, ‘Why didn’t I have access to this? I wish I had this when I was pregnant with twins.’ It’s cordless, and you can go about your day. I can be watching TV or putting on my makeup while pumping. Most of the time (with other brands), you have to be plugged up into the wall, which is exhausting and makes you feel like you’re being punished. I hated that. When I was in the hospital, they definitely plugged me up to the wall and had these gadgets attached to my boob, and I’m like, I can’t eat. I can’t do anything. I have to be strapped up. That’s exhausting.”
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