17 inspirational celebrity quotes on motherhood

These A-list mums get very real about motherhood and it's pretty empowering...

Gone are the days when women were expected to have motherhood sussed, juggling work and family and still managing to make time for everything else.

For too long the women that we look up to have been giving us unrealistic expectations of motherhood, making us feel inferior and abnormal for not having everything together all the time or for having the occasional meltdown - well, not any more.

All hail the new wave of A-list mums – the women who aren’t sugar coating the complexities of motherhood, instead expressing exactly how they feel – be it good or bad.

Here are 17 of the most empowering quotes by celebrity mums who aren't shying away from the truth about motherhood. We need to have a play-date and a cocktail with these women... 1) Reese Witherspoon (mum to daughter Ava and sons Deacon and Tennesse) ‘No one's really doing it perfectly, I just think you love your kids with your whole heart, and you do the best you possibly can.’ 2) Drew Barrymore (mum to daughters Olive and Frankie)

‘My favourite thing about being a mom is just what a better person it makes you on a daily basis. Every morning when I wake her up, the endgame is, “Can I get her to smile?” And that puts me in a good mood. It's definitely a different way to live - and a much better one.’

3) Kate Beckinsale (mum to daughter Lily) ‘I have found being a mother has made me emotionally raw in many situations. Your heart is beating outside your body when you have a baby.’

4) Gwyneth Paltrow (mum to daughter Apple and son Moses) ‘I never understand why mothers judge other mothers, like, “What do you mean you didn’t breastfeed? What do you mean you didn’t do this?” It’s like, “Can’t we all just be on each other’s side?”’

5) Sienna Miller (mother to daughter Marlowe) 'I was overwhelmed by how normal it felt. It was like, "There you are - that's what I have been missing." Like we're both in on something only we know. An amazing sense of being complicit with a little being.'

6) Victoria Beckham (mum to the Beckham brood: sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz and daughter Harper.)

'Like so many working mothers all over the world, I feel the constant struggle to be the best mother I can, whilst setting a good example to my children to work hard. I travel for work when it's necessary, and I miss them all the time when I am away.'

7) Claire Danes (mum to son Cyrus) ‘Being a mom is incredibly challenging but we still feel a pressure to talk about it in very romantic terms. We all have that resentment at times and anxiety about being trapped by the role, that responsibility. And then chemically it can run riot…and there’s no ‘off’ button.

8) Julianne Moore (mum to daughter Liv and son Caleb)

‘It’s not difficult to take care of a child; it’s difficult to do anything else while taking care of a child. Trying to clean up the kitchen after you’ve had a baby is a nightmare.'

9) Kate Winslet (mum to daughter Mia and sons Joe and Bear) ‘There’s something really empowering about going, ‘Hell, I can do this! I can do this all!’ That’s the wonderful thing about mothers, you can because you must, and you just do.’

10) Anne Hathaway (mum to son Jonathon)‘I've wanted to be a mother since I was 16, but I also just knew I wanted to have a career as well.’

11) Kim Kardashian (mum to daughter North and son Saint)

‘It is an adjustment trying to balance a career and motherhood for sure, but the key is to prioritize. You become more selective and work on projects that are so meaningful because you want every other waking moment spent with your family. You have to remember though to make time for yourself.’

12) Gwen Stefani (mum to sons Zuma, Kingston and Apollo) ‘[I wondered] how I would fit [the baby] into my life. Would I be too self-obsessed to be able to care about him enough? I have a really extraordinary life and I obviously have a lot of passion about the things that I do. So I didn’t know if I could be selfless enough. But obviously I can – it’s the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me.’

13) Beyonce (mum to daughter Blue Ivy) ‘I feel more beautiful than I’ve ever felt because I’ve given birth. I have never felt so connected, never felt like I had such a purpose on this earth.’

14) Blake Lively (mum to daughter James) ‘You never know when you’re gonna get crapped on, when you’re gonna get a big smile or when that smile immediately turns into hysterics. It might be like living with a drug addict.'

15) Angelina Jolie (mum to sons Maddox, Pax and Knox and daughters Shiloh, Zahara and Vivienne) ‘I see myself as a mom first. I’m so lucky to have that role in life. The world can like me, hate me or fall apart around me and at least I wake up with my kids and I’m happy.’

16) Sandra Bullock (mum to son Louis and daughter Laila) ‘I'm simply the mom who makes the lunch, drives to school, finds where the toys are, washes the clothes, and I'm here to play. And that's all I should be.’ 17) Jennifer Lopez (mum to daughter Emme and son Maximilian)

‘[Becoming a mother] I really felt the growth of myself as a human being, as a person.’