Samantha Harris to return to DWTS next week

Samantha Harris will return to her job as co-host of Dancing With the Stars next week after giving birth to her first child, daughter Josselyn Sydney with husband Michael Hess, on September 23. The 33-year-old’s co-host Tom Bergeron revealed to TV Guide,

She’ll be here for our script meeting on Saturday. And then she’ll be back on the air Monday night.

Tom also has a plan in store.  The television personality, who is known for his humor, informed the stars backstage that it would be interesting to try something.

If they all started to cry like a baby when she’s interviewing them — just to see if it forces her to lactate on television. It actually happened to my wife once when she was out at dinner and a baby started crying at another table. It’s that inner wiring that keeps the species alive.

All jokes aside, Tom and Samantha share a great friendship and love to talk.

When she starts talking about Josselyn she gets all gushy. My girls are 19 and 17 now and I’m having a lot of ‘sense’ memory just talking to Samantha. I said, ‘Doesn’t baby head smell great?’ And she said, ‘You’re right. Baby head is wonderful.’

Source: TV Guide

Comments

That could be tricky, I would be afraid that my breast would be leaking on Live TV. Afterall she only just had the baby 3 weeks ago, so I’m sure her milk is coming quite heavy. She better have a lot of padding on hand.

- meela on October 10th, 2007

I kind of like Drew a whole lot better though.

- katie on October 10th, 2007

I’m sorry. That’s just gross.

- Katharine on October 10th, 2007

This is horrible to say, but i actually like Drew Lachey better! Im going to miss him on the show

- morgan on October 10th, 2007

pardon the frankness, but: uhhhhh, has her vagina even had a chance to heal? anyway, she’s up to it, apparently.

wow, samantha. don’t worry, your job will be there if you take a couple more weeks to recup.!

- sinclair on October 10th, 2007

I like Drew a whole lot better sorry to say!!

- Kristin on October 10th, 2007

I really don’t see why she wants to return SO soon! She should be using this time to bond with her baby! Drew is doing such a fantastic job so the show is still going strong without her…

Unless that’s what she’s afraid of

- Tracy on October 10th, 2007

Actions speak louder than words. I guess all her talk about being thrilled to have a baby is not true. I couldn’t imagine leaving my little one after a month. The shortest maternity leave I’ve heard of was 6 weeks and that was based on a friend’s contract. Sad,

- Jenn on October 10th, 2007

She can wear lily padz and she shouldn’t leak. If she’s breastfeeding. That sure is one quick return to TV; personally, I like the time to recoup and take it easy after babies. They grow up SOOO fast, and that time is so precious.

And I liked Drew better, too. Maybe that’s why she’s anxious to get back…

Sarah’s note: She is nursing, she talked about it a bit in her last blog we posted. It is a fast return, but she really does only have to be ‘on’ 3 hours a week and I bet she gets to bring the baby (who probably sleeps most of the time)!

- sarawara on October 10th, 2007

Well I for one am excited to see Samantha back…I hope she shows us pictures of Miss Josselyn…I am not going to criticize her for coming back when she wants to–it’s her choice and it’s not like she’s at work 40hrs a day…she wants to come back and I am sure Josselyn can be with her…it’s her choice.

- Megan on October 10th, 2007

While I like her as a person and on the E channel, I think that Drew did a much better job as host than she did. He seemed more natural, less disorganized with his speech and never appeared to be at a loss for words.

I will miss him a lot.

- Beverley on October 10th, 2007

I just wondered why none of my posts ever go up? I am not writing anything horrible!! It seems like the past few times I’ve commented, my posts never went up. If you aren’t going to post comments, at least e-mail the person and let them know why. I’m not quite sure why you allowed the comment about letting Samantha’s vagina heal by sinclair. Now that’s not appropriate!!!!

- Kristin on October 10th, 2007

I don’t see the big deal about her returning to work so soon. Her duties require 3 hours a week of her time. I think the baby will be just fine away from her for 3 hours and may very well be sleeping. Husbands return to work the day after the baby is born sometimes and nobody raises their eyebrows at that! Yes, Samantha is nursing, but she may also be pumping- meaning Daddy could stay home and still be able to feed the baby. Let’s let parents make the right choices for themselves and their families instead of criticizing their every move.

- Colleen on October 10th, 2007

Yeah, my husband said the reason she was coming back so quickly was because Drew was such a threat to her job. I personally really like him better…he is much funnier and more enjoyable to watch. In all honesty, though, if I had her job I probably wouldn’t need to take the full 12 weeks of “normal” leave. Lord knows her body will be perfect, and since she only has to work a few hours here and there it shouldn’t be too big of a deal.

- Amy on October 10th, 2007

I had to go back to work full time two weeks after my first child was born. The company I worked for didn’t fall under FMLA because it was too small. She will be fine.

- finnaryn on October 10th, 2007

I was really hoping that she’d go the opposite route and decide to not come back. I really like Drew as the host, he’s doing a much better job than she did.

- Anne on October 10th, 2007

It’s so sad that mothers are criticized for returning to work quickly and people make snide comments like “she should be bonding with her baby and not worrying about work” and yet fathers are not held to the same standards. Sometimes I feel like it’s still 1950 when I read some of these comments.

- Kate2 on October 10th, 2007

Morgan I liked drew better too, in fact everybody I know feels the same way. Thought she would take at least 5-6 weeks off, 3 weeks is so quick to return.

- gianna on October 10th, 2007

that tom is just gross. what a weird thing to say.
also, i can remember being a 9000 lb., sobbing, exhausted wreck for MONTHS after having my kids. and i was the same age as her. good for her, i guess. when you work in h’wood guess you gotta keep your face out there.

- tookie on October 10th, 2007

I agree with Colleen. Samantha’s only going to be away for only three hours a week. That’s not really alot IMO. The rest of time she stays home and bonds with baby Josselyn, and plus, she can bring the baby on the set if she wanted to. So why is this an issue? Husbands don’t necessarily don’t go back to work after the baby is born. I know a few cases where they are given a few days to spend time with the baby and help the wife take care of the newborn, but they don’t get as much time as wives do, in which the maximum time for maternity leave is eight weeks..right?? I’m not sure about that but I think it is eight weeks.

- J.J. on October 10th, 2007

I’m not sure Sams intentions for going back to work are right – she clearly feels her job is under threat, producers can be so fickle and if polls suggest that drew is more popular she knows they’ll just switch them. Poor Sam.

I guess it is only 3 hours on air but i suppose there are rehearsals for both shows and will she really wanna stand in a rehearsal with a baby attached to her boob?

3 weeks after havig a baby your hormones are still going pretty crazy, crying at the slightest thing (i cried because i couldn’t fit my daughters car seat onto the supermarket trolley – absolutely broke down on the yoghurt aisle!). i got through 8 breast pads a day for like the first 4 months after my daughter was born.

Previous posters are right, when a baby is as young as Jocelyn is – it is just take take take – eat sleep poo. but in a few weeks when she starts smiling and making cute noises Sam won’t want to miss any of it and looking back she may regret that she had to miss it because she choose her job over her daughter.

The bond between a mother and her baby is completely different to a father and his baby. I think you are chemically different after you become a mother. You have all these primal instincts to comfort and protect your baby.

- emma on October 11th, 2007

Kate2,

No one blinks an eye because fathers don’t actually birth the babies. It’s not just about bonding but her body needs to heal. I’m sure she feels great but the medical recommendation is 6 weeks for your body to heal from the trauma of giving birth.

- meela on October 11th, 2007

I don’t understand why people worry so much about leaking in public when all you have to do is wear breast pads . . . my breasts leaked often but no one ever knew. I wore the lansinoh pads and they worked great. At most I had to change them once a day. Relatively inexpensive, simple solution.

I’m a working mother and my husband is a stay at home dad. I breastfed my daughter exclusively to six months and continued until she lost interest at 18 mos. I was in school when she was born and had to get back relatively quickly, graduation followed and I immediately had to start a full-time job. It wasn’t easy, but when you’re in good physical condition and have a vaginal birth, recovery can be quite fast. Certainly my “vagina” (perineum, etc.) was absolutely healed by 2-3 weeks post-partum. I also was not an emotional mess after having the baby. A bit overwhelmed, absolutely in love, sure. But still put together and ready to get back to what I needed to do to support my family.

And I’m a very attached and loving mother. I absolutely think she can work out mothering and the few hours a week she needs to work, especially since it appears she has the freedom to bring her baby to work – a luxury most working women don’t have.

- JR on October 11th, 2007

meela: The people who were making comments about her going back to work were not just making comments about her not being physically ready. They were making comments about how she “should be spending all her time bonding with her baby.” It’s absolutely ridiculous that a mother can’t take 3 or 4 hours a week away from her baby without being criticized for it. And it’s not up to random posters to decide whether or not Samantha is physically ready. It’s up to Samantha and her doctor to decide that – and if her doctor has decided it’s okay and she feels ready, then it’s none of our business. People heal at different rates.

Emma: Spending 3 or 4 hours away from her baby hardly qualifies as “choosing her job over her baby.” Mothers have a right to have something for themselves away from their children. And whether the bond between a mother and child vs. father and child is totally different is a matter of debate. I don’t happen to agree with the opinion that mothers are more important than fathers, or that mothers are more needed in a child’s life than a father, or the the bond is different.

I’m constantly amazed at how mothers are held to such impossibly high standards. God forbid a mother might actually want to take a little bit of time for herself to pursue interests of her own, the parenting police pounce and lecture the poor mother about her messed up priorities. It is possible for a mother to have her child as her first priority and still have other priorities and interests.

- Kate2 on October 11th, 2007

Sarah:
You need to clarify your statement. It’s much more than 3 hours. There are rehersals, script readings, etc. She makes a lot of money and trust me she has to do more than 3 hours of work!

Sarah’s note: What is there to clarify? I’m saying she’s ‘on,’ as in on-air about 3 hours a week. For the rest of her duties, I’m sure the baby can be right there or close by.

- Jenn on October 11th, 2007

Kate2 –

A newborn baby will recognise its mothers voice from birth (even before birth), she will recognise her mothers face within like a week (i forget). A baby will know where its food source is and will latch on to its mother. I’m open to a debate on the differences between the bond of a mother and baby and a father and his baby.

Also i’m not sure if it was meant to be in the same paragraph and therefore directed at me but i never said i thought ‘that mothers are more important than fathers, or that mothers are more needed in a child’s life than a father’. Though on that topic a baby will often only want its mother to comfort them.

As for the ‘Spending 3 or 4 hours away from her baby hardly qualifies as “choosing her job over her baby.” I work 3 days a week and in reality i could have sacrificed my job to look after my baby but i wanted to go back to work – so i’m choosing my job over my baby i guess (and i deal with mothers guilt as much as the next mum), but i couldn’t have imagined going back to work when she was only 3 weeks old – their mother is the only person they need at that age, i can remember breastfeeding for like 6 hours straight when she had growth spurts at about 6 weeks old.

I’m sure if we were having a conversation face to face we might be in agreement – message boards are never great when there is conflict. All i’m saying is that i hope Sam doesn’t find it too gut wrenching to be away from her baby especially if she intends to keep on breastfeeding, and i hope she is going back to work because she really wants to and she feels like she can juggle everything ok and not because she think drew lachey is going to get her job.

I had a year off work and when i came back i wasn’t allowed my old job back or my old desk (it was the best desk in the office i know it shouldn’t matter but office politics n all) and i was stuffed in a corner but you know if having jessica (my baby) and having a wonderful year together full of lots of memories is the price i have to pay then so be it – she’s worth that plus a 100x over.

- emma on October 12th, 2007

Emma: Babies can also recognize their fathers voices and faces at the early stage. And not every baby is breastfed (and even BF babies are sometimes fed from a bottle sometimes as well) so the food source can come from anywhere. I firmly believe, and will always believe, that the strength of the bond between parent and child has nothing to do with gender and everything to do with the effort put into creating that bond. Speaking as a person who was raised by parents who split childcare equally I can personally attest to that.

My comments about mothers not being more important than fathers was a more general comment made in response to the comments I see on here so often in which more is expected from mothers than fathers. Time after time I come on here and see women criticized for their parenting in ways that men never are – and I think it’s appalling and unfair.

As for the job stuff: I don’t think that you or Samantha have chosen your job over your child. Motherhood is filled with guilt, it comes with the territory (and is also, I think, largely happening due to the enormous amount of criticism that mothers get even when they’re not doing anything wrong). And I don’t know any mother who doesn’t feel guilt about some aspect of how they’re raising their child – again, even when they’re not doing anything wrong. Wanting to work, and be fulfilled in other areas, and have some part of your life that is just yours is not, IMO, the same thing as putting work in front of your child. It’s important for mothers to feel happy and fulfilled in their lives because their children will feel that and be better off because of having a happy mother – and I’m sure that your daughter feels that as well.

Also, DWTS is the kind of show that’s only on a few weeks before going on a break for several months. So Samantha is lucky, she can go to work a few hours a day for a few weeks and then have several months with her child before having to go back for a few more weeks. It’s the ideal kind of a job for a mom, and nothing that should be inspire the kind of criticism that she is getting on this board.

- Kate2 on October 12th, 2007

In People Magazine Samantha says she works 12 hours on show days and has no plans on rushing back. hmm.

I don’t agree with going back to work before 6 weeks. A woman’s body needs to heal after birth. In other countries like Canada – maternity leave is 1 year off for mothers and can be transferred to 6 months for fathers.

There is so much development. Being a stay at home mom is the best job and a gift!

- Alexa on October 12th, 2007

Alexa: I think being a stay-at-home is a wonderful thing. But it’s not for everyone. A mother who is not happy being a stay-at-home mom has the power to do more harm than good to their child. Children need mothers who are at peace with their lives, and not everyone finds that peace by taking the same path.

- Kate2 on October 12th, 2007