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New Celebrity Moms

Originally posted Thursday February 10, 2005 12:00 PM EST

Her bosses at Will & Grace let Debra Messing take over the unused office next to her dressing room to create a nursery for Roman, 10 months. "It's the most ideal arrangement for a new mother," she told the Ottawa Citizen last month. Photo by: ADAMS-ZUNIGA / JFX IMAGES

Balancing Act

How Hollywood's Working Moms Make It All Work*
* (hint: usually with help)

Just three months after giving birth to son Ryder, Kate Hudson packed up the family to a film set in Louisiana. "How lucky am I as a working mother that I can have my baby with me?" she said. But the star soon found that "when you're nursing and working 18-hour days, that's pretty hard."

Hollywood moms have more help than most – anyone for a traveling nanny? But they also face unique challenges, like protecting their privacy. (When Hudson gave birth, paparazzi donned scrubs to sneak into the hospital.) Even the decision to start a family can pose a dilemma for many actresses, whose maternal urges often coincide with the most fertile periods of their careers. Accepting good roles may mean long days and shoots far from home – but turning them down might lead to fewer offers later on. "For Julia Roberts, it's not like anyone will say, 'She just had babies, we'll forget about her,' " says FOX 2000 Pictures president Elizabeth Gabler. "It's more that people put pressure on them [to return to work]."