Speaking with Violet grey digital magazine, Mendes said, "We were really excited about naming her. We both love the Esmeralda character from the Victor Hugo novel The Hunchback of Notre Dameand just think it’s a beautiful name. Her middle is Amada, which was my grandmother’s name. It means 'beloved' in Spanish."
Opening up about how Mendes has found motherhood, interestingly she says her sympathies lie with the baby, "People always told me that [it was tough]. But I’ve learned that it’s way harder to be a baby," she said. "Everything is a struggle for her. For instance, I haven’t thrown up since the ‘90s and she’s thrown up twice since we started this interview. Motherhood is cake compared to what it’s like to be a baby."
Mendes also spoke about her decision to be extremely private during her pregnancy, "Whether we like it or not, privacy is going to be very difficult for Esmeralda. I think it’s unfair but that’s our reality. So Ryan and I decided early on to give her as much privacy as we could. And my pregnancy was the first opportunity to give her that. It’s such an intimate time for the mother, too. I know that it seems all very innocuous when you’re flipping through a tabloid at the doctor’s office or see a photo of a pregnant lady online, but I find the media’s 'bump watch' obsession to be both intrusive and stressful. So I made a decision to eject myself from it completely. I was like, 'Annnnd I’m out.'"
For more on the interview visit VioletGrey.com.