fbpx ;

Rosie Pope on Downtime, Balance and Her Gritty Workouts

A total sucker for reality TV, I was a big fan of the show Pregnant in Heels. I loved watching maternity concierge Rosie Pope school moms-to-be on pregnancy and child-rearing — and it was always fun to see the crazy demands of the pregnant. I’ll always remember the woman who wanted to sit on a horse, naked and pregnant, to pose for a painting, or the mom Rosie convinced to give breastfeeding a shot even though she was sure she wouldn’t breastfeed. (She ended up breastfeeding for months.) Rosie always had straightforward advice for the bit of craziness, and it was fun to see her on her own path in motherhood. Today, Rosie — now a mom of four — shares how she balances her life, how she fits in a workout and her craziest request from a client.

RosiePope-585

Interview with Rosie Pope

You struggled to get pregnant at one point, but now have four kids. What advice do you have for women struggling to get pregnant? Get help as soon as you think you’d like it. Only you get to decide when you think you have been trying for too long and want to find out more about what is going on. Being empowered with more information can be really helpful, and with fertility the sooner you get help, often the better considering our eggs are aging all the time. Philosophically though, I think it is important to keep hope alive. The journey to becoming a parent can be long and winding with many challenges, but most people really do get there even if it’s not in the way they may have imagined when they first started trying. With all the feeling of lack of control over conceiving, try to hold onto the hope because it will get you through.

How on earth do you get any downtime with four young kids? Sleep? I was thinking the same thing myself last night!! Life is crazy, but this is what I always dreamed of. I see life in phases, and it won’t always be like this, so I try and soak it all in and not get frustrated that I don’t have loads of time to myself. Keeping friendships going is so important though in parenting because having people you enjoy and trust to lean on is key.

What’s the best advice you got as a mom-to-be? Worst advice? I get asked that a lot, and I think just in general you get loads of advice (wanted or unwanted) in pregnancy and parenting. I don’t think it comes from a bad place and people want you to know what worked from them. It’s just really key to hold onto the fact that we are all individuals and so are our children, which means there is no one size fits all. People will tell you things as truths that are total myths, but that’s not because they are trying to give bad advice; they really believe it. The one I hear all the time is, “You must be having a boy, you are carrying all in front.” I almost got into a fight with a lady who wouldn’t believe I was having a girl! At the end of the day, take the advice and think whether it works for you. If it does, great, and if it doesn’t just shake it off — otherwise the noise will begin to get to you!

How do you keep a balance between work and home life? For me, balance doesn’t necessarily mean equal or the same amount. At different times my home life or my work life is more demanding of me. The key is for me to be present in the moment so each one is quality.

What’s your workout life look like? Do you hit the gym or just play with the kids to stay in shape? Again it depends on when you ask. Sometimes I can really make time to run (I like running), and other times it just doesn’t happen. But having four kids means you are never just sitting around! I am always moving. I know that is kind of an annoying answer, but with four kids and work I just have to fit it in when I can. No glamorous trainers or new yoga classes! It’s a gritty 5K run whenever I can find 30 or 40 minutes to spare.

I loved your Pregnant in Heels show. What was your craziest request? To rid a ghost from a nursery the soon-to-be parents believed was haunted.

Do you still perform maternity concierge work? Any current projects we should know about? Yes — selectively, as I have a lot of projects, but I still love it. Rosie Pope Maternity is now available nationwide at our stores, www.rosiepope.com and places like nordstrom.com and shopbop.com, and I am continuing to expand Rosie Pope Baby which is very exciting — look for it at your Buy Buy Baby or department stores nationwide. I have also just launched my YouTube channel Conversations with Rosie Pope to provide fun and relatable pregnancy and parenting education. We also have a lot of exciting announcements about to happen for 2015, but you’ll have to follow me @rosiepope to find out!

What’s your favorite Rosie Pope thought for today? I love the idea that balance doesn’t mean equal. —Erin

FTC disclosure: We often receive products from companies to review. All thoughts and opinions are always entirely our own. Unless otherwise stated, we have received no compensation for our review and the content is purely editorial. Affiliate links may be included. If you purchase something through one of those links we may receive a small commission. Thanks for your support!