Eva Mendes has finally revealed why she named her daughter Esmeralda Amada and shared details of her new life as a mom. The actress told Violet Grey's digital publication, The Violet Files, “Ryan [Gosling] and I both love the Esmeralda character from the Victor Hugo novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and we just think it’s a beautiful name,” Mendes said of their decision.

“Amada was my grandmother’s name. It means ‘beloved’ in Spanish.”

The actress, 40, also told the publication how her life has changed since giving birth to Esmeralda three months ago.

"I thought my wild nights were over, but these are some of the wildest nights I’ve ever had,” she said.

But Eva and Ryan aren’t alone during their nights as first-time parents and have found help on the internet.

“I go to BabyCenter.com and read the comment section from other mothers because I find so much solace in that,” she says of the online forum.

“Just knowing that I’m not alone out there and that other moms have gone through the same thing can at least get me through the night. I’m doing it without a nanny for now but I’m open to the idea of having a nanny in the future. For me, that part of being a mother at this early stage is the struggle of not being able to sleep and not knowing what I’m doing and really going through it with her and battling out those nights.”

Eva also discussed her secret pregnancy – she was already seven months pregnant when the news broke – revealing that she passed the time with her family.

"I have eight nieces and nephews, so my brother and sisters know a thing or two about what to expect when you're expecting," she said. "I have a very tight-knit family and the pregnancy brought us even closer together."

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