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Pregnant in Heels star and all-around pregnancy guru Rosie Pope made no secret of her fertility struggles after the birth of her first child, JR, now 3. She endured surgery on her uterus, multiple rounds of IVF and an ectopic pregnancy before giving birth to her second son, Wellington, in February. So imagine her surprise in August when a trip to the doctor with husband Daron revealed she was pregnant once again -- without even trying! Check out our exclusive chat with Rosie, who talks about her unexpected news, and how she’s juggling a toddler, a baby and an empire -- all while growing baby number three.
iVillage: Congratulations on your pregnancy! After all your previous fertility struggles, how did this pregnancy happen so quickly after the birth of your second son?
Rosie: We weren’t sure we could have a third and we didn’t think birth control was necessary for us after our fertility issues. So about two months ago we decided to go back to our doctor to just kind of check in and see what he thought about doing IVF again and all that stuff. We weren’t sure when we would actually start trying. The doctor did some tests and we walked away thinking we’d probably do IVF again at some point. Then he called me later that day and said I was pregnant. It was the morning of my elder son’s third birthday. I was like, ‘WHAT!?!’ I was in shock. It had been so hard before that it was kind of funny that it happened when we were not even trying, but apparently it can be common that after giving birth, your body still has all the hormones from the IVF that you can ovulate and get pregnant naturally again.
iVillage: How far along are you now -- and how are you feeling?
Rosie: I’m at the end of my first trimester now, so I can breathe a sigh of relief. I was very cautious for awhile. I wanted to see the heartbeat and make sure everything was okay. This first trimester has been a little rough. I’ve had the sickness and the tiredness, but it’s all well worth it in the end.
iVillage: What’s it like juggling your two very young children, your business (which includes a maternity line, parenting classes and more) plus a reality show all while pregnant?
Rosie: Honestly, I cry every other day figuring out how I can do it all. I have a lot of help. I have an amazing mother-in-law who helps us pretty much every day. But it is difficult, especially when thinking about having a third child. Also, with one child I was incredibly controlled about everything, but with the second you sort of surrender to the craziness. Now, if they don’t get bath time every night it’s not the end of the world. I had never allowed hot dogs in the house, but now I’ve decided they are an important food group. I think it’s more fun and the kids enjoy me a lot more because I’m less obsessive.
iVillage: How is this first pregnancy different than the first two?
Rosie: I think it’s even more laid-back. Like I’ll be feeling sick in a cab and wonder why and then say, "Oh yeah, I’m pregnant." Also other people’s reactions are different. You tell parents the first time and they get crazy-excited and then they get excited for second time and by the third time round they’re excited, but a minute later they’re asking what to do for dinner.
iVillage: You have two beautiful boys at home. Any preference on the gender of this baby?
Rosie: I am always wrong about gender. I would be surprised if it’s a girl, but we’ll see. I don’t have a preference.
iVillage: Jennifer Garner, who is pregnant with her third child, recently said it would be ‘weird’ to have a boy after having two girls. Do you think it would be weird to have a girl after two boys?
Rosie: I’m not sure weird is the word, but you have to worry more. Raising girls and boys can be quite different. The issues I faced as a young girl, I don’t really worry about with the boys. Later on when she's a teenager, I might be more nervous with a girl.
iVillage: We now know you are unexpectedly expecting baby #3, but what advice do you have for parents who are thinking about going for that third child?
Rosie: I would say that in general people plan too much for pregnancy and trying to find that perfect time. I don’t think there is a perfect time or the flipside is every time is perfect. This pregnancy was a surprise, but we couldn’t be more over the moon. So many people have gone through similar struggles to us, and I am sensitive to that. I never thought we’d get to the point of having three. I hope that our family’s story gives other people hope.
