Eva Mendes: I love my mother!

Eva Mendes has a new appreciation for motherhood.

The 41-year-old actress welcomed daughter Esmeralda, her first child with partner Ryan Gosling, six months ago.

And Eva said in a new interview that she becoming a parent has made her see her own mother in a whole new light.

“Now I understand so much, my mother’s never gotten more 'I love you so much mommy' texts, I mean, randomly… ya, I get it now,” Eva told US TV show Extra.

Esmeralda has certainly been keeping her parents on their toes since her arrival into the world. After a few months of sleeping through the night, Eva has admitted that her little girl has just started waking up again.

“But you never know, right, something random can happen and she’s just suddenly not sleeping through the night and you’re like, wait, I thought we were sleeping through the night, what’s up?!” Eva said. “Why does it always happen at three or four in the morning?!”

Eva is the envy of women worldwide thanks to her relationship with hunky Ryan, who she met on the set of The Place Beyond the Pines.

And when it comes to keeping her man happy, there’s one trick that Eva makes sure she always sticks to.

“You can’t do sweatpants… ladies, number one cause of divorce in America, sweatpants, no!” Eva laughed.

Despite having Esmeralda just a few short months ago, Eva has already snapped back into shape.

However, she was quick to insist in the interview that while she has regained her figure somewhat, her recent cover of Women’s Health magazine was aided with Photoshop.

“You’re helped in those situations, I want women at home to know, you’re lit, you’re angled, so yes, it was a few months after the baby, but with a lot of help,” she said.