Gyllenhaal: 'I'm grateful for my nanny'

Maggie Gyllenhaal has admitted that she was initially overwhelmed by parenthood.

The actress, who gave birth to daughter Ramona in October 2006, revealed that she was frustrated to discover that it was impossible to raise her child without outside help.

"When my daughter was first born I kept saying, 'I don't need anybody, I'm just going to do this by myself'. I thought I could make a home, be a good wife, and do all these things. I thought, 'I'm just going to call my mum'," she told Fox News.

"But I have since realised that wasn't realistic for me... It's okay not to be able to do everything all the time, to fail as a parent sometimes. Now I have a wonderful nanny. I am somebody who spends every possible minute I can with my daughter - I really believe that's important, but I do need help."

She added: "I found a lovely, lovely nanny for my daughter - I just thank God for her."

Gyllenhaal recently insisted that she enjoys "making sacrifices" for husband Peter Sarsgaard.