“Pregnant in Heels'” Rosie Pope on Confidence, Criticism and New Book
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Miranda Penn Turin/Bravo (NEW YORK) — On TV, Rosie Pope is a mommy whisperer, a know-it-all for stylish and affluent moms in Manhattan and beyond, thanks to her hit Bravo reality show Pregnant in Heels. Still, when it comes to raising her own children — J.R., 3, Wellington, 1, and Vivienne, 10 months — the pregnancy guru can also be self-conscious.
“Everybody thinks I’d be so confident,” the 32-year-old mom tells ABC News Radio. “I’m so conscious of wanting to do the best job that I can and I love my kids so much so everyday I’m like, ‘Did I do a good enough job?'”
It’s Pope’s job to make sure moms are best prepared when expecting. On her show, Pope consults with moms about everything from breastfeeding to poop. But usually cameras are rolling while she acts as a psychologist, a role she’s comfortable with thanks to her degree in neuroscience from Columbia University. It seems like a random degree for a woman who started her career as a model and stylist.
As a parent, Pope says “children make you address whether you like yourself. You have to take a big look about who you are, how you live your life, are you proud of those things because…a lot of parenting has to do with a lot of psychology and that comes down to a lot of brain.”
Her understanding of how people think helped the mother of three deal with criticism she faced for wanting to have more kids. Pope endured difficult pregnancies thanks to uterine surgery along with rounds of in-vitro fertilization treatments.
“People criticized me for not adopting; for already having one child. People said I was selfish to want another because some people can’t even have one,” Pope explained of the backlash from multiple rounds of IVF. “I know a lot of people don’t even get to have one, but I don’t think that should stop an individual from still being able to want more or to have more.”
Her idea of wanting more also applies to her career. She turned her namesake clothing store into a mecca for pregnant moms thanks to Mom Prep classes, meant to help expecting parents. Pope is also a brand ambassador for Philips Avent, touting their newly redesigned natural bottles for babies, and now, she’s also penning a book with her own gynecologist, Dr. Amos Grunebaum.
“It’s really a combination of my feelings and thoughts on pregnancy along with his medical facts,” Pope said of her book, Mommy IQ, due on bookshelves in October. “And I feel like so many women either don’t have access to a great doctor or when you’re in the doctor’s office you don’t ask the right questions. …So it’s really every question I’ve ever wanted to ask. I’ve asked him and I’ve put it into a book so you guys don’t have to.”
Find out how Rosie Pope will help another mom wade through motherhood problems on Bravo’s Pregnant in Heels Tuesday night at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio