EDITOR’S NOTE: ESPN Deportes and ESPN International commentator Carolina Guillén and her husband Luis Eduardo are expecting their first child next month. How is she balancing her job as co-host of Béisbol Esta Noche and #Redes and preparation for the new arrival? Guillén shares her story with Front Row:
After having been married to Luis Eduardo for 11 years, I finally was bitten by the maternity bug. We had been trying for several months and finally our dream is coming true!
Luis Eduardo was with me when I had the test, coming back from the U.S. Open in 2013; people were telling me that I looked different, with a certain “glow,” and I didn’t even suspect the reason for it until my visit to the doctor. I have to tell you that nothing can compare with the look of an expectant husband when he learns the result of a test that changes your life forever. It’s the sweetest look I’ve ever seen.
After seeing the doctor, I shared the news with my family via FaceTime, showing them the photo of the first ultrasound with a message that said, “Hi, grandparents, aunts and uncles! Better late than never, I’m in the oven!”
As far as my other family here at ESPN, I can say they were very happy with the news and I’ve received a great deal of support.
The team in my department has been my real source of support. They’ve given me very valuable advice. Among other things, they’ve told me to be sure to get plenty of sleep now, because in four weeks I won’t be able to shut my eyes. I have to confess that being pregnant has strengthened my emotional ties to ESPN, and I’m not just saying it because of the parking spot that’s reserved for me! Ha!
My daily routine continues to be the same as always; I don’t have any medical restrictions that prevent me from continuing to get up at 5 a.m. to go work out, and that has translated into a very healthy pregnancy.
I’ve kept on having the same professional responsibilities. I have traveled five times; I led SportsCenter from Mexico, I covered the Caribbean Series and the Tennis Open in Acapulco, Mexico. The hustle and bustle has been the same, and the opportunities, too. I am grateful to ESPN for allowing me to develop as a professional while I am also creating a new life.
I will confess that one of the challenges of this pregnancy has been the subject of my wardrobe on the air. I have a fight with my closet every day because nothing fits, and on top of that, the baseball season has begun and that means two shows on my schedule, five times a week, for a total of 25 different outfits before I become a mother.
One thing I can say is that if I had known it was so easy to be pregnant, perhaps I would have wanted to experience the adventure of being a mother earlier. Maybe I am one in a million to be so lucky, who knows, but I don’t have any complaints other than the inevitable weight gain during the process.
I don’t have nausea or sleeplessness – I can’t ask anything more from my body, other than for it to return to its natural state as soon as possible, and that will depend on me.
I see my baby as a before and after in my professional career. I feel that on July 14 I will return to the screen, stronger and better than ever. On top of that I will be celebrating my 10 years with ESPN — a decade of growth in sports journalism.
My daughter will be a champion and she will let me become the woman I always wanted to be.
