Abby Phillip says you can have your cake and eat it too.
The CNN anchor, 32, and husband Marcus Richardson recently had their first child, daughter Naomi Angelina, on Aug. 16, and in this week’s issue of PEOPLE, she reveals that while she will be taking her full maternity leave — and also has plans to continue on with her life.
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“You only get your first one once, so I’m going to take that time, spend it with her and nurture her until she watches me go back to work and learns that mommy has a job,” says Phillip.
Phillip and Richardson have been together for a decade and married for three, but that doesn’t mean she won’t focus on her work post-baby.
“From the beginning, Marcus knew he was dating a journalist who was attached to her phone and working seven [days] a week. He always took that in stride. We’ve put a lot of time and effort into our relationship,” she says, adding, “I don’t want motherhood to change me too much. I’m a believer in bringing your child along with your life,” shares Phillip. “I want to keep doing the things that I normally do, working and traveling, seeing friends and going out and having a glass of wine.”
She continued on, saying: “Being a mom has felt so natural. It’s the most important responsibility that I have.”
In a recent Instagram post, Abby gushed about her newborn.
“Honestly can’t believe it’s been a while month since I gave birth to Naomi. The time really has flown by. There are so many weird and wondrous things about pregnancy (emphasis on weird!) that I haven’t even fully processed it all. First of all, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I did NOT enjoy being pregnant. I learned to accept and embrace it, but I didn’t love it. If you’re like me, that’s O.K. Seriously.”
“What I did love was the closeness I developed with Naomi before she was even born. It’s an amazing thing and there’s really nothing like that bond. Pregnancy also taught me a lot about myself— and showed me the power of surrender (thank you @mama_yogiswellness ) and the need for support. To all the moms who do this alone, you really are superheroes. I don’t know what I would have done without Marcus. And particularly in the last few weeks of my pregnancy, my mom was there for me in ways I didn’t even know I needed.”
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