Erin Andrews on Squashing Mom Guilt and Navigating Life With Baby

As a seasoned professional sportscaster and one of the most prominent female figures to report from the NFL sidelines, Erin Andrews is no rookie at tackling tough topics. But when she welcomed her son Mack, eight months ago via surrogate, she had to ask herself some tricky questions: What would she feed her son? How would her schedule allow for quality time with baby? When would she have a moment to herself?

Thankfully, Andrews, like many moms today, is adept at managing the many spinning plates of motherhood. She attributes her success in this balancing act to the unwavering support of her husband, Jarret Stoll, her Fox Sports family and her behind-the-scenes community, including her nanny and friends. “I honestly feel like I haven’t been able to make a decision about Mack without my friends or our nanny that we had for the last six months of his life… I ask about everything from the wipes to the butt paste to the diaper size that we need,” Andrews tells The Bump.

As a first-time mom and someone who has spent her life crunching stats, getting all the facts together and interviewing others, Andrews likes to ask the proverbial experts when it comes to determining what’s best for Mack. “I really don’t make a decision without some input because I haven’t done this before. And there’s so many options, there’s so many choices and there’s so many things that could go wrong or go right. So I just really feel like I need guidance,” she says.

“People are always like, ‘Oh, trust your gut. Trust your gut.’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t have a gut to trust in terms of having a baby before.’ …I just want to make the best decision, because a lot of times, I don’t know what I’m basing my gut feeling off of, so I just want to do what’s right,” she adds.

This research-based approach is exactly how Andrews landed on Enfamil’s Enspire Optimum when it came time to decide what formula to give baby Mack. “When we were faced with going the surrogacy route, we knew we had to go formula, and we did a lot of research about the right types of formula to put him on,” Andrews says. “We were introduced to Enfamil and learned a lot about lactoferrin, which is the protein found in breast milk and colostrum. I loved the idea of getting to provide him with all the goodness from breast milk and loved that they were willing to partner with me to discuss all of the difficult parts of parenthood, from infertility to mom guilt.”

In Andrews’ new “Bottle Up” campaign, she raises awareness around these topics she’s so passionate about and encourages parents not to bottle up their emotions when it comes to their unique journeys and struggles in parenthood.

As her WEAR by Erin Andrews clothing brand gains momentum (you might have noticed Taylor Swift donning one of her jackets at this year’s Super Bowl) and she embraces more opportunities as a sports reporter, Andrews grapples with the weight of mom guilt. When asked if she ever worries that she’ll miss out on Max’s big moments, she answers that she struggles with this every day. “I didn’t think it would hit me because I’ve always worked my whole life. That’s how it is. I mean, my husband knew when we started dating, ‘Listen, I’m not home on the weekends. I miss the holidays because I’m working. I kind of thought when I had a baby it would be the same, like, ‘Look guys, that’s how it is. Love you. That’s why we have help.’ But no, it was really hard,” she says.

Andrews says some days the guilt hits harder than others.“He’s going down a slide [at the park] for the first time… I’ve missed bath time, I missed dinner. It’s actually surprised me how much it has hit me,” she recalls. “The bad news is I heard this is just the beginning of the mom guilt, so that stinks. But the good news is, hey, he’s here and I wouldn’t be having this feeling if he wasn’t here.”

Andrews also takes comfort in knowing there are plenty of parents—like her own dad, who worked long hours in news—who’ve come before her and felt the same. “I’m grateful for a lot of sideline reporters that have babies or women in the NFL that have reached out,” Andrews notes. She specifically calls out the kindness of Dallas Cowboys executive vice president and mom of three, Charlotte Jones. “I just looked at her, and I had tears in my eyes and I’m like, ‘I feel so guilty. I just feel bad. I’m not home. I love football so much and I don’t want to miss it, but I feel bad,’ And she just kind of eased my nerves and my fears and said, ‘Listen, you’re going to be okay. He’s going to be so proud of his mom.’”

When Andrews does get a break from her busy schedule, she’s always happy to catch a game with Mack and her husband. Explaining that Mack was “a big hit” at the couple’s Super Bowl party, and that Lott and his mini-me can always be found watching a hockey game. Ms. Rachel has also just come onto the scene, and Mack is completely obsessed. “Can I hire her for birthdays?!,” she jokes.

The family of three also loves going on stroller walks by the beach near their home in Los Angeles, with music playing and Mack dressed up in a little baseball hat. When at home he’s all about his bouncy chair, where he’s been pulling out all the dance moves lately with his hands up in the air. “Every day is a little milestone,” Andrews says. And just like that, the mom guilt fades bit by bit.