How women in sports media cope with pregnancy, work – More Sports – SI.com – SI.com

For women seeking advice on how to juggle a sports media career with motherhood, we direct you to NFL Network anchor Amber Theoharis, who is due with her third child at the end of August. Two years ago Theoharis nearly gave birth to her second child, Kamryn Olivia, on the set of NFL Total Access. As for the delivery of her first child, Dylan Mattea, well, that’s a remarkable story. 

While working as the Orioles sideline reporter for the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network in late August 2010, Theoharis started feeling stomach pains when covering the team in Chicago. She was scheduled to fly with the Orioles to Anaheim after the White Sox series but after consulting with the Orioles’ trainer, she decided to fly back to Baltimore to see her doctor. That’s when she received the news: She was in preterm labor—at a way-too-early 24 weeks. The paramedics were called and she was taken to Anne Arundel Medical Center on Sept. 1. “They thought I would lose the baby because they thought she was too young to make it outside,” Theoharis said.

​Theoharis was determined to keep the baby inside her for as long as she could. So for the next five weeks, she laid in the same hospital bed without moving. She described it as being upside down at a decline. Said Theoharis: “Every day they said she was going to be born, and every day I said, ‘No she’s not. I’m holding this baby in.’”

(The Frederick News-Post has a remarkable account of the pre-and-post-pregnancy here.)

Dylan Mattea Buchler eventually came 12 weeks early, weighing just two pounds, 10 ounces. (Theoharis said her daughter’s first diapers were about the size of one graham cracker square.) She stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit for five weeks and upon returning home, Dylan had a heart and lung monitor attached. At one news conference, Orioles manager Buck Showalter told reporters to pray for Theoharis. For six months, Theoharis stayed home with Dylan, watching her every move.

“I went through that six months just trying to give her a chance at life,” said Theoharis. “I then had the realization that my dreams had not changed. Even going through all that, I still wanted to finish what was at that point 10 years of working really hard. I wanted to finish that pursuit I started out of college, and I felt I was a better mom when I had work. When I was pregnant working the baseball beat, the toughest part was the travel, being at the hot ballpark and still trying to walk around to get interviews done. Now I think the biggest challenge is fatigue because I have two small children. You are trying to do everything a stay-at-home mom would do when you are home and also trying to keep your career going, which you are still just passionate about. Also, being a studio host—and I know this might sound petty—it’s finding something that fits you and finding different camera angles. I’m standing up with 300-pound guys and you feel you weigh 400 pounds. You are standing in heels and your balance is off.”

If you are a regular watcher of sports television, it’s common to see pregnant women delivering (or covering) sports news. As far as women at high-profile places,  ESPN SportsCenter anchor Jade McCarthy (due Labor Day) and Theoharis (due Sept. 3) are currently on air as they near their due date. SportsCenter anchor Lisa Kerney gave birth to twins on May 26 (her third and fourth children) and will be back on the air this week. ESPN college football reporter Sam Ponder traveled last season to her College GameDay assignments with her 14-month-old daughter, Scout. They are just a handful of women in the sports media who have dealt with pregnancy and post-pregnancy issues.

“Being pregnant involves a lot of stuff that has to happen on a schedule, but I had a job that involved heavy travel and a lot of covering breaking news, so everything just became a whole lot more of a juggle,” said CNN sports anchor Rachel Nichols, the mother of toddler twins. “You’re trying to eat regular meals, but you find yourself in an airport at 1 a.m. I remember once leaving a frantic message for my doctor that just said ‘I have to reschedule my appointment, Aaron Rodgers suffered another concussion.’ After I hung up, I realized I probably should have provided a little more explanation.”

“I got pregnant when I worked for another outlet, and I could definitely sense some trepidation about whether I’d continue in the business,” said ESPN and espnW columnist Jane McManus. “I think they were trying to figure out how much to invest in me if there was a chance I was going to leave the business. When my two girls were two toddlers, I felt like my assignments were affected. I could never say with certainty it was because of the kids, but I think some people at the paper looked at me differently. I have always loved being a writer and eventually my career got back on track. My youngest is 10 now and a lot has changed. Women have worked through pregnancy from visible positions in sports media. You need a supportive partner to make it work, and there is always the pull between career and kids. But if you love what you do, it’s really rewarding.”

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“I have had people walk up to me and say things to my face about my parenting and mothering,” Ponder told this column last December. “One time I had a lady ask me if this was her [Scout’s] first flight and I made a joke out of it as I usually do, saying she’s a long pro at this. The woman said, ‘You know, that is terrible for a baby. The immune systems are not ready for this.’ One of the things I have learned is some of the most judgmental people have been other moms, and there have also been a ton of moms who have been very supportive and encouraging. I think a lot of people see how they did it and it worked for them, and they assume that is what works for everyone. I told my doctor I was feeling guilty about having her out so much and he said, ‘There are two things that you have to do. You have to love her and you have to feed her.’ I was like, ‘Okay, I can do those things.’”

ESPN’s Sage Steele said traveling for work was challenging, especially in 2005, her final season as a Ravens beat reporter when she had a three-year old and a one-year old and was pregnant with her third child.

“I was exhausted for obvious reasons and remember hoping the season would come to an end sooner rather than later,” Steele said. “My husband’s decision to become a stay-at-home dad after the birth of our first child allowed me to continue working unique shifts and traveling. We didn’t want a nanny in our home, so I changed jobs after the 2005 season in order to ensure a more consistent schedule. Ten years later, I still miss being a beat reporter, but I also know that my decision back then to be home more with three very small children was a no-brainer. I did some NFL sideline reporting in the preseason shortly after my first two children were born and there were several memorable road moments. I was still nursing my first child and will never forget the officials who gave up their private room at halftime so I could have a “clean” place to pump!  I also have hysterical memories of traveling on the Baltimore Ravens team charter and locking myself in the lavatory so I could use my breast pump … only to have players banging on the door wondering why I was taking so long. One time I got so frustrated that I ‘explained’ why by opening the lavatory door and showing them two bottles of freshly pumped breast milk (aka ‘liquid gold’). Needless to say they were grossed out and never bothered me again. 

“​I truly don’t remember any outwardly negative experiences during any of my pregnancies. If anything, the men with whom I worked were extra helpful and considerate, and seemed to truly respect what I was doing in ‘their world’ while trying to balance so much mentally and physically. I have such fond memories of having a ‘moment’ doing NFL or NBA highlights on live TV and randomly laughing during the highlight as my unborn baby kicked me in the ribs or pressed down a little too hard on my bladder with his or her tiny feet. Those moments make me smile all these years later and will always be a great reminder that I can truly handle anything that comes my way while on the air.”

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The same issues that impact travel can also impact those with studio roles. Kerney said that about 11 weeks into this pregnancy, she wolfed down a grilled chicken wrap so she wouldn’t be starving during her anchoring of the 8 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter.

“Bad move,” said Kerney, who along with her newborn twins has a 3 1/2-year-old and a 21-month-old. “For the next three hours I was making a plan in my head to rip off my mic and Usain Bolt-it to the ladies room so I wouldn’t become the latest viral sensation for hurling on air. Pregnancy is a crazy existence. You never know what’s going to happen from moment to moment. The next day, I shared our news with one of my bosses and swore off night shows for the rest of my pregnancy. As I got bigger and the babies took up more and more space, they also took away room for me to breath, which became challenging with the quick pace of SportsCenter, especially when we’re rolling from highlight to highlight. I had to strategically play up the ‘dramatic pause’ so I could dramatically cover my mic and take a deep breath.”

Interestingly, even in a social media age where women in sports media and elsewhere face an endless barrage of appearance-based comments, the women I spoke with said they were less body conscious while being pregnant versus not being pregnant.

“Being pregnant actually made me a little less worried about that stuff,” Nichols said. “I was making two human beings from scratch—at the same time! If someone chose to be critical of that process, instead of impressed, that was definitely not a ‘me problem.’”

“I’ve embraced the belly,” said McCarthy. “For most women in general, I feel like the most challenging time is the ‘in between’ time, when you haven’t shared that you’re pregnant but your shape is changing. This time, I lost weight because of how sick I was. Truthfully, it’s been over the last few weeks that people have stopped me and said ‘Whoa! Look at you! When’s the baby coming?’ In all seriousness, I could pass on the shopping for maternity clothes. But aside from trying to find clothes, I don’t feel any additional stress or concern about my look. I’m proud that my family is growing with a son or daughter and that means growing myself.”

“I remember being so proud to be pregnant that I probably wasn’t as self-conscious as I should have been,” Steele said. “Again, it was a different era—long before the Internet was as prevalent and invasive as it is today. I was certainly aware of how much weight I was gaining—exactly 33 pounds with each of my three kids—and I did my best to keep it in check considering that old adage that the camera adds ten pounds. Today it would be much different. All the standing-up shots and walking and talking that SportsCenter anchors have to do make it very important to wear appropriate clothing, both aesthetically and logistically.”

“I have been working in television on camera for 15 years, and being a female in sports you are used to being judged for your looks,” Theoharis said. “It’s just a reality being in a visual medium. But if you are worried about what people thought about you, you would not have made it. The women who make it in this business feel good about themselves and will not be defined by what other people think of them.”

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Theoharis said the NFL Network has been supportive throughout her pregnancy (the women I spoke to at ESPN said the same thing about their employer) and treated her as they would any other employee. “I have always considered myself pretty tough and go with the flow, and I don’t want them to change my duties and ask me to do less because they think I need it,” said Theoharis, who plans to return to work Nov. 2. “But if I go to them because I need a break, I would hope they would be understanding of that. I think the best way to approach it is to let the pregnant woman at work let you know that she needs a break and not take duties away from her, because then we feel like we are losing the positioning we fought so hard for.”

(In case you were wondering about Dylan [below], Theoharis said she has caught up with kids her age physically and loves school, riding a two-wheeler, swimming and soccer. “This is the kid doctors told me wouldn’t have muscle tone, would always be small and probably not be that athletic,” Theoharis said. “I never let their predictions for her be the standard I set. Those predictions were based on percentages. She’s not a percentage. I always treated her like a normal child. I will always be humbled by how close I was to losing her and I find so much joy in the little things maybe parents of healthy children take for granted.”)

Kerney will back on the air this Thursday and viewers can see her throughout August on late-night SportsCenters.

“I live my life in two lanes: work and home,” Kerney said. “My social life will exist down the road and I’m totally O.K. with that. When I give myself, I do so wholly and with everything I have. Being a mom is the greatest blessing and my children give me the most euphoric bliss and love. But I know for me to be the best mommy for them, I need my creative outlet as well. I am incredibly passionate about my work and immerse myself while I’m present at work. As a mom of three daughters, it’s important for me to show them the value of hard work, independence, accountability and going after your dreams. When I’m home, I’m mommy in my sweats, no makeup and a messy bun changing diapers, shuttling to camp and school, playing dress-ups and baking cookies. I am realistic about what fulfills me and that is family and work. I’ve never been more happy.”

One of the additional layers of the work experience for mothers working in the sports media is what happens after the kids are born, especially for those women who travel for their job.

“Anyone who works and travels will tell you it gets exponentially harder after you have kids,” Nichols said. “Are you going to bring them with you when they’re very young, especially if you’re breastfeeding? How do you juggle childcare if your travel isn’t always on a set schedule? My toddlers are little enough that I haven’t had to deal with them being crushed by me missing things like soccer games or school plays, but I hear that’s coming, and it’ll be one more thing to figure out how to navigate.”

“I knew I couldn’t be a beat reporter for a team and travel with a baby,” said Theoharis. “I made a personal decision in order to pursue my career and be a Mom. Everyone told me when I was pregnant with my first child, ‘Oh, you are going to change and once you put that baby in your arms your dreams will not be the same.’ Well, they put that baby in my arms and I love that baby to death but if anything, I wanted to keep continuing with my career because I had a daughter and I wanted her to see that your dreams don’t end the day you have a baby.”