Salma Hayek was on Oprah yesterday and she talked about her six-month-old baby, Valentina Paloma, and her long distance relationship with the father of her baby, Francois-Henri Pinault.

On waiting to have a baby until she was 41
“It’s a little nerve-racking to wait that long, but it’s the best time to have it because you’ve done so many other things in your life. You just get it out of your system, and you can really relax into being a mother, which is the best thing that can happen to you. If you’re 23, you don’t know this because you think you have to do so many more things. But if you already did them, then you can really focus and enjoy every minute of it.”

She said later in the show that pregnancy happened naturally for her, and that “I thought I was going to have to work really hard at getting pregnant because of my age, but then I just got pregnant.”

On saying that she was hoping to have a boy
“I remembered how hard it is to be a woman. And I chickened out, and I said, ‘Oh, my God, I hope I get a boy.’ Because I just think they have it easier.”

But Salma said a doctor incorrectly told her at first that she was going to have a boy, and that her boyfriend, Francois-Henri, told her he really believed it was a girl anyway. Salma said “I remember when they told me it was a boy I was a little disappointed. So I think I really wanted a girl or I knew it was a girl. And then when she was born, I was so happy. Having a girl is the best.”

On choosing the name for her daughter and spoiling her

Salma says she picked the name “Valentina” for her daughter because it means “courageous one” in Spanish. “Then, one night, I got really nervous that she was going to be like a revolutionary,” Salma says. “And I said, ‘I better compensate with another name that’s a little softer.’ So I named her ‘Paloma,’ which means ‘dove’ in Spanish. She’s a ‘courageous dove.'”

Does Salma spoil Valentina Paloma? “She is so spoiled,” Salma says. “And I will not apologize for it.”

[From Oprah.com]

On having to work hard to lose weight after the baby
“Yes, and I’m still working on it. I gained a lot of weight, I had gestational diabetes. The pregnancy was really difficult for me. I thought, as soon as this baby is out, I’m just going to lose the weight super fast, because I’m going to breast feed, and everybody tells you that if you breastfeed it’s going to come out like this, it’s a lie! It’s not true.”

On not starving yourself to make sure your baby is healthy in the first months
“Except for a couple of exceptions, the only reason people lose weight like that when they’re breastfeeding, it’s because they’re not eating and they’re breastfeeding, and this is not good for the baby. You know how they tell you it takes nine months to get it, nine months to lose it? There are shortcuts, but it’s not good for the baby. So I’m taking my time. I’ve lost a lot, most of the weight, and I’m very proud of it because it’s been really hard work studying what kind of food to eat that’s healthy for me, healthy for the baby. But I’m still losing even if it’s slow, and I’ve been working out… and the rest is going to go when it’s time to go.”

On not needing a marriage license for a commitment
“After I got pregnant, I don’t know why, [but] the [ceremony] part of it is not necessary because we have such a huge commitment for each other. I don’t know that we have to go through the rituals.”

“[Men] have to work every day to continue to keep you wanting to marry them. They have to work at it a little bit, so it’s sort of sexy. I know people, once they get married, something happens, and I don’t know what it is, but something happens, and then they are not as in love with each other.”

On her long distance relationship

Salma and Francois-Henri have a unique relationship—they are based in different cities and spend most time separated by an ocean. Still, Salma says they see each other often. “Every time he comes, it’s an event. And every time I go, it’s the same and it’s so romantic and it’s so exciting. And the time we spend together, it’s 100 percent quality time. And then the time we’re not together, I have 100 percent quality time to my baby, to myself, to my career,” she says. “So for us, it works. Now, it’s not an open marriage. Nobody think this is too modern and don’t get the wrong idea—the level of commitment is exactly the same.”

[From Oprah.com. Quotes transcribed from video and thanks to Oprah.com. Commentary is original except where blockquoted.]

Salma also talked about her campaign with Pampers to eradicate tetanus in the third world through vaccinations. Every time you buy a specially marked pack of Pampers, they will donate the money for a vaccination shot to UNICEF.

As for losing weight from breastfeeding I have to say that it didn’t really work for me either, probably because I craved carbs a lot while I was doing it. I lost weight at first, but it was those last 10-15 stubborn pounds that wouldn’t budge without a lot of work and I had trouble dieting. It’s also harder to find the time to work out and eat right when you’re caring for a little one. When I was single I never realized how much work it was to be a mom, and I only have one kid. Kudos to all those moms who are raising more than one.

Oprah says baby Valentina is “like a little fresh pup”
And one more thing – when Oprah showed that cute first picture of Salma with her daughter, Valentina, Salma cooed and Oprah said she was “like a little fresh pup.”

I understand the deep love people have for their pets, but it kind of bothers me when people compare my child to their dog, and this happens often for some reason.

Here’s the video of part 1 of Salma’s interview. I’m working on finding part two.

Thanks to the Huffington Post for the heads up on this story and to Oprah.com for the photos.