For Brooke Shields, motherhood very nearly didn't happen at all. By her own admission, she had a truly difficult time trying to conceive, having tried every IVF solution possible with seemingly no success. Both she and husband Chris Henchy had agreed that the stress and disappointment the process was causing to both of them was no longer worth it, and that they should give up after the course they were currently going through.
As if by magic, on that last attempt, Shields became pregnant, and at the age of 40 gave birth to her daughter, Grier. A happy and grateful Shields still serves to this day as a spokesperson for 'Fertility Lifelines', the organization that provided her with a lot of support and care as she battled to become a parent. The birth of her daughter was the catalyst for Shields's memorable feud with Tom Cruise, who disapproved of her use of medication to cope with postpartum depression.