Here's the strange thing about reality shows. We know they were taped prior to airing. We KNOW they go through substantial editing. And yet, if you're sitting down to watch, say, Bravo's Pregnant in Heels, it's like every bit of Rosie Pope's life is unfolding in real time for you.
So it was strange, to say the least, to watch Rosie on Tuesday night, heartbroken about an ectopic pregnancy that destroyed her fallopian tubes, and may have ruined her chances of giving son JR a little sibling. Why strange? Because just a few weeks ago, I sat on the phone at my home while Rosie spoke to me from HER home, while she breastfed baby boy Wellington Pope, her second-born. And then came the announcement from Life & Style Magazine this week: Rosie Pope "introduces" baby!
Wellllll, duh! We were "introduced," albeit through his adorable little baby sounds coming through the speaker of my phone already. But it was nice to see his gorgeous little face in Life & Style this week (hat tip to Celebrity Baby Scoop!) in particular -- because while Pope was dealing with some crazy rich ladies, she was dying inside. As she said on her post-show blog:
The sadness of this episode has stayed with me. On the one hand I was incredibly distraught and sad that we may not be able to have another baby and on the other feeling guilty because I already had a son and many, many people don't even get to experience that ... But in life we all have our journeys and adventures and by some somewhat sick twist of fate I ended up in the parenting and maternity business unable to have another child myself.
If you think it's hard for women going through infertility to run into an old high school pal who's pregnant or having to face their best friend cradling a newborn, imagine what it must be like all day, every day, to be face-to-face with a big belly. I commended Rosie on the phone during our interview for having the guts to come out on TV about her infertility battle, because it is such an important thing for American women to see they aren't alone ... and what better place than on a pregnancy show, the sort of show that I KNOW some infertile women turn to almost as though they're gluttons for punishment. So hungry for a child, one friend told me, she'd watch A Baby Story just to feel like she was "part of things."
Pope has given these women a gift. She's telling them they're not alone. And in many ways, her son Wellington and her decision to show him off this week is a gift too. He's the gift of hope, the knowledge that, as she told Life & Style, "Miracles really do happen."
Is Rosie Pope an inspiration to you?
Image via Rosie Pope