High Anxiety
I feel so lucky to have had the press coverage I’ve had leading up to the premier on April 5 of my show on Bravo Pregnant in Heels. So don’t take this post as a bratty ungrateful English lassy complaining about the glitz and glam of being a growing celebrity (well, you can if you like) but take it instead as a wee vent, because you can’t make this stuff up. And while Baby Wells is the best listener ever, he doesn’t seem to want to respond to my running commentary on today’s events and would rather pleasantly snore beside me all bundled up in completely impractical but totally yummy cashmere!
My day started off at 5 AM as usual with his early morning feed and I found myself wondering yet again why Starbucks doesn’t deliver (definitely the business plan of my future). I know you are probably thinking “buy a coffee maker, lady” but trust me when I tell you those machines see me coming and conspire to make coffee that tastes like gutter grit no matter how hard I try to follow the instructions!
Then, of course,today, the day I am carrying no less than my 6 week old, his stroller, car seat, bottles, and diaper supply for the day (who knows how many poops the little man will do?) PLUS a couture birthing gown PLUS a head of unfortunately frizzy hair, it was raining in NYC – YES, raining! Of course! Why would the weather make it easier?
Despite all of this I was super excited because a car was coming to pick me and the babe up (one perk of being a new reality TV star!). However, as usual, it was tough to tear myself away from my buckwheat pancake eating JR (somehow “buckwheat” sounds healthy doesn’t it? That is what I tell myself, anyway), especially because he is sick today, poor lamb. I hate it when my kids are sick, it is heart breaking and they don’t really understand what is wrong. My normal remedy is lots of hugs, honey and DVDs, but today I can’t stay and the anxiety of being a bad parent starts to build.
When the car finally arrived, the driver asked “You know where you are going right?” Eh-ehhm, no actually. I spent the next hour trying to program his GPS because clearly I look like I’d be good at that. He then gave me a lengthy running commentary on how Greenwich Avenue is a long street. Not necessary information, my friend -I’m trying to bond with my baby back here which is the least I can do considering I am dragging him to yet another photoshoot. Still hadn’t had any coffee yet and I’m freezing my little leopard print flats off and wondering why I didn’t go for the head to toe fleecy onesie I saw advertised last night on some fab channel, as opposed to the silky dress I yanked from the closet (not a smart move). Perhaps I’ll make them chic next fall! Maternity fleecy onesies….don’t laugh, they are sounding fabulous just at the moment.
So where was I? Ahhhhh, my ever growing anxiety that this career of mine is affecting my kids. My hubby reassures me this is not the case, at least not negatively, but it is hard for me to see the stars through the trees right now (or whatever that phrase is, I am terrible at phrases). I feel as though I am always running, I never stop to walk, and my children therefore have to run with me. Would it be better if I left them at home or should I continue to take them on all these crazy adventures: photoshoots, production meetings, trips to LA… Right now I feel as though bringing them with me is the best thing, even if it is not the easiest, at least when I can. I feel like we are becoming a nomadic family – perhaps we should start a traveling Christian rock band and be done with it?
But then again, when I stop to think about my childhood, I realize I grew up coloring in drawings at the House of Commons while my mum met with politicians, or back stage at the Opera House as my dad performed. It was amazing and I wouldn’t trade those experiences with my parents at work. So maybe I should get my head out of the sand and embrace this life, and my kids’ slightly unconventional days. Okay now I am tearing up – seriously this is embarrassing – all in the back of a town car!
Alas, the quest for work/life balance continues, my kids are a day older, I feel more than a day older and as I look at the sweet things sleeping my anxiety lifts, if only until the morning (or until I check my schedule for tomorrow!).
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What a lovely and honest post. Your show is amazing and sounds like your instincts are spot on. Keep up the good work!
You are amazing!
Rosie, While I too had infertility issues and my heart goes out to you about that, I really feel like you need a dose of reality. You have a very young son. In less you’ve been trying to get pregnant since before your first son was born, you really don’t need to go on and on yet about having fertility issues. Although, if you are one of those “control freak” mothers who wants to have your children spaced about just so, then I guess this would be normal behavior. I wish you would take the time and effort to fix your speech impediment and give it the focus that you have given your fertility. Your show is drivel and yet, it is made worse by your horrible speech problems. Nobody can understand you because you are glossing over entire phrases. This is because you are embarrassed by your speech. You can fix it. A qualified speech therapist would be able to help you in a matter of a few short months. And, since you live in New York City, you could get very qualified help. I do want to say that I hope you know deep down inside that your show and in fact, your entire profession is not serious. In today’s crazy narcissistic world, you are celebrated. In reality though, you are nothing but a pompous blow hard and you remind me a great deal of Gwyneth Paltrow. Rosie, if you had continued your studies in neuroscience, perhaps you could have contributed something to society but with your flimsy wardrobe pieces and your inane ideas to further the mind-numbing nimwits on your show, you are just as pathetic as the couples that you supposedly “help.” Your show will be canceled soon, the viewership is horrible and for good reason, and I truly hope that you sit down and watch each and every episode and that you have a moment of clarity where you can see what an empty-headed fool you really are.
One more thing, a truly “well healed” woman would not need to remind people constantly of their status in life. We don’t care that your mum “met with politicians” or that you see yourself as a “growing celebrity.” And, we don’t give a rat’s patoot that you “were” (why past tense?) a baroness. If you truly had style and manners, you would not need to brag so much.
I’m appalled at the mean spiritedness of the comments here. I find your speech delightful, at least you dont sound like those California girls on reality shows that make me want to gag! I’m an American, a proud American to say the least but sometimes the behavior of my fellow countrymen leave me so embarrassed for the whole country. Chalk it up to jealousy, misery, or whatever but please know that all Americans arent like this! Keep doing what youre doing, you are a breath of fresh air!
If you are so disgusted by her “Lord Styrofoam,” may I ask why you even bother to read her blog in the first place. I think she is really genuine, interesting and tough loving. She doesn’t pamper her clients. If you had even watched her show, you would know how concerned she is about the children that these women are about to bear. She tries to make them better, more responsible mothers. She doesn’t listen to their excuses about why they can’t do certain things. What business is it of yours if, as you say, she has a speech impediment and hasn’t gotten it fixed. I don’t hear one. If you have such a problem with her, then ignore her. I plan to watch her show and support her. Let the rest of us enjoy what she has to say.
Wanda and Lord Styrofoam(whatever that’s suppose to mean), maybe because you haven’t much education yourselves or perhaps you were “unable” to understand her accent, she stated clearly on an episode of her shows that she has a befricaded uterus (lo0k it up), and had a tubal pregnancy (which means after that a fallopian tube needs to be removed. So while trying to become pregnant the second time, she was dealing with a malformed uterus and only one functioning fallopian tube. Maybe you didn’t “catch” that. Of course, being an RN, and having worked in a neonatal intensive care unit as well as community maternal support programs, I understand quite a bit more what and where she’s coming from. Maybe this show is just a little too high brow for you…stick to Jersey Shores.
BTW, I too, am a mom of 2 boys (a lot of work). When there’s boys there’s noise. So, congratulations Rosie and also to your husband and whole family! I’m sure you are all very delighted! It is a true blessing and miracle.
If you want to attack Rosie for her speech or anything else, that is your right. I just wish when someone is open and honest about their FERTILITY ISSUES you would not mock them. I am personally dealing with infertility issues and it is people like you who make us feel ashamed and insecure in talking about the problems we face. I am 30 and starting IVF next month, should Rosie and myself wait until after we are 35 and the quality of our eggs drops dramatically before seeking help so people like feel like our treatment are necessary? In my case my partner is the reason we need to move onto IVF, even though everything is “normal” with me reproductively, I still consider myself as someone who is dealing with infertility issues. If this IVF is successful we plan on trying for our second within a year, these are things that need to be discussed and planned before hand. Unfortunately we are working against a clock. I think it’s wonderful how open Rosie is about everything she has been through, it makes me and others in my situation feel like we are not alone. So please just think before you attack someone who is being so open about such a private matter. One last thing, if you dislike her so much why go through all the trouble of coming on here, creating an account just to be an a*$hole? Do you have nothing better to do? Yes, it is your right, but why go through all the effort?
I absolutely love open discussions, debate and am open to criticism of the brand, myself and Pregnant In Heels…but we also want this to be a safe place for our readers to share their thoughts and feelings openly without fear or harassment by others. When someone crosses that line we sadly have to remove them from this community to respect and protect the other users here. We hope you understand. We have removed several comments and banned a user from this comment thread that we feel were inappropriate and attacked other readers. Best, Rosie Pope