Anne Hathaway’s ‘buzzer beater’ pregnancy hits home—I’m having my first baby at 44

When Anne Hathaway recently joked on Late Night with Seth Meyers that she and her husband were “so shocked that it worked” when they conceived their third child, I really connected with her.

“We knew what we were doing,” said The Odyssey actress Hathaway, who is 43. “but we were so shocked that it worked … so we’re calling this one our buzzer beater.”

I like the expression, and as a journalist, I’ve been quipping that I was really bumping up against deadline with my pregnancy.

I’m 44 years old and almost eight months pregnant with my first baby—a daughter. 

I met my husband just before my 40th birthday. By then, I’d already spent much of my 30s grieving the possibility that I might never become a mom.

For a while, I considered having a baby on my own. But between my demanding career as a freelance journalist and everything else life was throwing my way, it just didn’t feel like the right path for me.

Early on, my husband and I had a conversation that brought us both peace. We decided we would have a full life as DINKS (double income, no kids) or as parents. We’d travel. We’d spoil our friends’ and family member’s kids. We’d keep building careers we loved, enjoying our shared hobbies, and grow together. Meanwhile, we’d be thrilled if we could add a child to our family. 

When we eloped in October 2024, one reason we skipped a big wedding was because I couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe I would be pregnant soon. I didn’t want to plan an elaborate celebration only to postpone it if our family finally started growing.

Looking back, I’m glad we listened to that instinct.

Last January, I was on a ski trip in Santa Fe when something felt…different.

A couple mornings in a row, before I hit slopes, I felt unusually nauseated. I also couldn’t get warm no matter how many layers I put on. My mom has always joked that when she was pregnant with me, I “stole all her heat,” and suddenly I remembered that story.

After skiing, the nausea returned, so I skipped dinner with my group, ordered Gatorade, applesauce, crackers—and a pregnancy test through DoorDash.

I’d taken several tests over the previous year, and they’d all been negative and each time I’d feel a little sadness or grief wondering if I’d miss the deadline or to circle it back to Hathaway’s analogy, the buzzer would go off before I had my shot.

But this time felt really different, and the second line appeared almost immediately. 

I Facetimed my husband, and we both just stared at the screen smiling. We were thrilled!

Here’s the Instagram post I made on my 44th birthday, annoucing my pregnancy:

Of course, excitement quickly gave way to anxiety.

If you’re pregnant after 35, you’re constantly reminded of the phrase “advanced maternal age.” Doctors discuss additional screening. Articles list the increased risks. And you get some weird questions like … “were you trying to get pregnant?”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, pregnancies after age 35 carry higher risks for conditions including high blood pressure, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, chromosomal abnormalities, and miscarriage. I felt so much relief when I entered my second trimester and my risk of miscarriage went down. I had only told a small circle of friends and family that I was pregnant, and I was carrying a lot of worry in that first trimester.

My doctors have monitored me closely with extra testing because of my age, and I’ll be induced rather than waiting for spontaneous labor.

So far, though, this pregnancy has gone remarkably smoothly.

I passed my gestational diabetes screening. My blood pressure has stayed healthy. I’ve had a really active pregnancy, playing pickleball, going for walks, and getting exercise. Aside from the less glamorous parts of pregnancy—morning sickness that somehow lasted morning, afternoon and night, and spending every evening rotating through bed like a rotisserie chicken trying to find a comfortable position as my belly gets bigger—I really can’t complain.

Mostly, I’ve felt incredibly grateful.

And honestly?

I don’t think I would have been ready in my 20s.

Today, I have a career I’ve spent years building. I know who I am in a way I simply didn’t decades ago. I’m more confident. I’m more patient. I’m financially stable. I have a wonderful partner who shares the excitement with me.

That doesn’t mean waiting is the right choice for everyone. Fertility declines with age. I don’t take my experience for granted for a second.

I simply know that for me, this timing feels right. As a former basketball player and a basketball, coach, I also really love the buzzer beater analogy because getting a shot off at the last minute can’t be forced. It requires some good timing for an opportunity (and a little luck, too).

Our family story also reflects a broader trend.

In 1970, the average first-time mother in the United States was about 21 years old. Today, she’s just over 27, according to federal data cited in this Time article. Birth rates among women in their early 30s have surpassed those among women in their late 20s, and births among women 40 and older continue to rise.

More women are pursuing education, building careers, finding partners later in life—or simply deciding they’re ready for children on their own timeline.

Seeing celebrities like Anne Hathaway and Natalie Portman openly talk about pregnancy in their 40s feels surprisingly meaningful. Not because celebrity experiences are identical to anyone else’s, but because they help normalize something that’s becoming increasingly common.

When I was younger, having your first baby at 44 felt almost unimaginable.

More than anything, this pregnancy has left me in awe of my body. At 44, I’m growing an entirely new human while still meeting deadlines, taking daily walks, traveling and living a full life. Yes, I move a little slower these days and getting out of bed has become its own workout, but I also feel stronger than I ever expected. When I first found out I was pregnant, I was a little worried that my age would define this experience. Instead, it’s shown me just how resilient my body is. Rather than feeling “old,” I’ve never felt more appreciative of everything my body is capable of doing—and that’s been one of the greatest gifts of this pregnancy.

Now, as I fold tiny baby clothes, decorate a nursery, and count down the weeks until I meet my daughter, it feels like exactly how my story was supposed to unfold.