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Zoe Saldana: Going Back to Work After Twins Will Be “Painful,” But “We Have to Pay Bills”

Zoe Saldana
Zoe Saldana anticipates going back to work after maternity leave will be "painful."

Mothers of America, Zoe Saldana feels the same mommy guilt you do — and it’s a struggle. Enjoying the last months of her maternity leave before filming the next Avatar film, Saldana anticipates a hard time leaving twins Cy and Bowie, 4 months, behind. “It’s painful,” the actress, 36, admitted to Us Weekly at April 2’s Samsung Galaxy S 6 Edge launch in L.A.

Related: PHOTOS: Look back at Zoe Saldana's pregnancy

“I’m pretty sure that every parent — not just every mom — would [take time off] as long as your work doesn’t suffer. But we have to pay bills and at the end of the day, I think that’s the best example we can set to our children,’ Saldana, married to Italian artist Marco Perego, said. “We’re very determined and we can’t just leave everything behind and just focus on them. But it’s painful.” (Indeed, Saldana will need to adjust quickly to being a working mom; Avatar director James Cameron has promised new films annually through 2018.)

Zoe and Marco
Marco Perego and Zoe Saldana attend the Samsung Galaxy S 6 edge launch on April 2.

Saldana and her husband, 35, enlist the help of a nanny to care for their boys, but try to be as self-sufficient as they can be as parents. “We have a village, but it’s fun. Like, it takes three people [to care] for two? What the hell?!” she joked.

Related: PHOTOS: Zoe Saldana's stunning style

Happy homebodies now that they’re parents, the couple were indeed forced by their nanny to get out of the house to enjoy a date night. “This is us tonight with a nanny kind of telling us, ‘Get out. You guys need to go breathe,'” the actress told Us. Instead, Saldana and Perego are content to bond at home with their kids — and fit in a workout, too!

Related: PHOTOS: Amazing post-baby bodies

As if toting infants around wasn’t enough of a workout, the new mom is diligent about her at-home sweat sessions. “Whenever they are taking naps, my husband and I are doing little push-ups here and there and everything. I want to prove to myself and help people understand that sometimes you don’t really need a trainer,” said the star.

“You can do it on your own,” Saldana encouraged. Her three keys to success: “Determination, commitment, and breastfeeding!”

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