The Early Show's Maggie Rodriguez Chats With CBB!
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On Monday, The Early Show‘s Maggie Rodriguez announced her second pregnancy.
Due on July 1st, the CBS anchor, 40, chatted with PEOPLE’s Liza Hamm about how she’s feeling, thoughts on baby names, what it’s like raising kids in a small Manhattan apartment and having to wake up extremely early while battling morning sickness!
Click below for the Q&A!
How are you feeling?
Today, I feel good. My first trimester was awful. I had morning sickness all day long, all the time. It was such a surprise because I have a 4-year-old daughter and I didn’t have any of that with my first pregnancy. It was a rude awakening.
Any thoughts about why this pregnancy is so different?
I tend to think — and I don’t know if there is any science to this — it’s just my hunch. It’s got to be a boy because it’s so dramatically different. And it’s also because I’m older. It’s just harder to be pregnant at 40, I think, than to be pregnant at 35.
Did anything help you feel better?
That was the worst part. Nothing helped. I tried every remedy that you hear of — every lollipop and candy and tea — and eating small meals. There was just no relief. But it was like a magic switch, at the end of three months, it stopped.
Is your daughter excited?
Daniella is very, very excited. She is so involved. She talks to my belly. She says, ‘Hi baby sister.’ She’s convinced it’s a girl. And she asks me every day, ‘Why does it take so long for the baby to come out?’ I tell her every day it has to grow. And every day the question is, ‘Is the baby coming today?’ And she says, ‘Can I touch the baby and feed the baby and play with the baby?’ So she’s going to be a little mommy.
Does she have any names picked for the baby?
Yes, since she thinks it’s a girl, the baby’s name is all of her female classmates’ names — one day it’s Sasha and the next day it’s Mia.
My husband has three much older brothers and when his mom was pregnant with him, they told the kids, ‘You can name him.’ Luckily, he’s Michael — after a kid who lived down the street.
Are you planning to find out the sex of the baby?
We found out with Daniella and I am absolutely going to find out with this one. I could technically find out already but my appointment isn’t for a few weeks. I’m biting my nails waiting for that appointment.
What are you doing to get ready for baby no. 2?
It’s going to be a lot harder having a baby in a Manhattan apartment than it was in a house!
I’ve got to figure out how we’re going to make room. I guess Daniella and her baby brother or sister will have to share a room for awhile — which I don’t think is a bad thing, I did with my brother growing up. Other than that, I haven’t thought about a thing.
What did you find to be the biggest misconception about pregnancy the first time?
They’re such different pregnancies that anything I learned in the first one is out the window.
I keep reminding myself that even if I do feel sick or look fat, it’s so worthwhile in the end. Everything you go through is worth it once you see that beautiful baby. All of these pains and the way you look and feel is temporary. And it’s beautiful, so embrace it.
How do you try and feel good about yourself during pregnancy?
I had planned to work out. I didn’t work out in my first one and I regretted it because I gained a lot of weight. I had planned to work out but I just felt so sick in the first trimester that I didn’t work out.
Towards the end of my first trimester I got shingles and I was in the hospital. I’m still not over the shingles. I have a lot of pain. It’s been challenging — I’m just trying to get by. This baby is a troublemaker!
Maybe now everything will be smooth sailing!
I hope so. I’m knocking on wood.
Is it harder to get up so early in the morning for work when you’re pregnant?
Much, much harder. When I was pregnant with my first child, I was an evening anchor, so I could get up around 10 a.m. or noon, have a little snack, do whatever I wanted to do and slowly start my work day. With this, I am up and out of the house in 15 minutes because I’m not going to get up that much earlier. It’s excruciatingly hard.
Also, you feel the worst when you wake up in the morning when you’re pregnant. I feel best in the early afternoon. I started napping. Now that I’m pregnant, I nap. I nap like an hour a day. Then I pick up my daughter at school and go do something fun with her.
Any specific cravings?
I’m glad I’m pregnant in New York because all I want is Italian food. If any restaurant in New York makes a delicious eggplant parmigiana please let me know!
Anything else?
I’m really proud of my pregnancy and I’m not hiding my belly on the air at all. I’m flaunting it!
– Liza Hamm
