Most of the time, people don’t talk about the issues women face when they try to get pregnant. It can lead to medical findings, long-term treatments, and mental health problems. But actor Susan Sarandon isn’t afraid to talk about these things. She knows what it’s like to want to be a mother but not be able to be one. The star has been trying to have a child for a long time. She is now telling her story freely to help other women.
Before becoming a mum.
Sarandon’s film career began in 1970, when she played the lead part in the drama film Joe. Then she moved to the small screen with the soap series A World Apart. In 1975, the year she turned 29, the Rocky Horror Picture Show made her famous.
By 1984, she had already played more than 25 parts in TV shows and movies. These weren’t just any roles, either. In 1980, she was nominated for an Oscar for “Best Actress” for her role in Atlantic City. In her personal life, she was in a relationship with the Italian director Franco Amurri, and this made her think about becoming a mother.
These worries came from having some physical symptoms that doctors couldn’t accurately identify, which led to treatments that weren’t well explained or accurate. But even though things were hard, she defied the chances and got pregnant when she was almost 40.
“Every time I had a child, people said, ‘Are you crazy? Don’t!’”
Imagine if, when the actor finally became pregnant, her coworkers told her to get rid of the baby. They told her, “Don’t have the baby,” and “It will ruin your career,” respectively. Susan was brave enough to not listen to this advice and keep waiting for her first child. It was Eva Amurri, who is now a well-known actress and creator of material.
She did not get a clear diagnosis until she was in her forties. The actress had a disease called “endometriosis.” This is a harmless condition in which pieces of the endometrium, which fall off during menstruation and cause bleeding, spread to other areas like the rectum, bladder, ovaries, etc.
This condition can cause pain in different parts of the body, and it often makes it hard for a woman to get pregnant because her eggs are less healthy and there are fewer of them.
The relationship with Amurri ended, but in 1988, she started dating actor Tim Robbins, who was 12 years younger than her. She met Robbins while they were both working on the movie Bull Durham. John “Jack” Henry was born in 1989, and Miles Robbins was born on May 4, 1992. Her other two boys were born to her and him.
“I had my first child when I was 39, and my third when I was 45. Each time, people asked me, ‘Are you crazy? Don’t!’” In an interview, Sarandon said.
Eva Amurri’s oldest daughter, Marlowe, was born in 2014, and her boys Major James and Mateo were born in 2016 and 2020, respectively. Both Amurri and Sarandon’s social media posts show the actor as a loving and caring grandmother. Even as a great-grandmother, she seems just as loving, as shown in a heartwarming shot from 2017 of her 94th birthday party with four generations of her family.
Taking a stand for other people
She had to face many physical obstacles and not take “no” for an answer when it came to her disease in order to have the family she has now. Sarandon said in 2011 at an EFA (Endometriosis Foundation of America, Inc.) event, “It’s not okay to miss out on a part of life because of pain and excessive bleeding.”
In that presentation, the actress also brought attention to the fact that more needs to be said to get rid of the feeling of being alone that comes with this sickness.
The actress also talks freely about the problems that come with breastfeeding, giving specific examples from her own life.
In one interview, she was asked what advice she would give to women who are about to become mothers. And here’s what the actress said: “I always tell women who tell me they want to have a baby that it’s up to them at first, no matter how active or caring their baby daddy or husband is. That’s how it’s made, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Try to enjoy the birth and everything else as much as you can because it’s a pretty crazy sci-fi journey. Don’t think that you have to be perfect.”
Susan Sarandon is 75 years old, has three grown children, and three grandkids. Her story has a happy ending, but she spoke out about endometriosis so that other people would talk about their pain, not get used to it, and get identified and treated as soon as possible so they could live a better, more fulfilling life.
No matter how old a woman is, how healthy she is, or how famous she is, she can have trouble getting pregnant or having a baby. A great thing is being done by stars like Susan Sarandon. They let women know that they are not the only ones going through hard times. And by doing that, they give millions of women all over the world hope.
