Meghan McCain has opened up about her ‘bittersweet’ pregnancy during the coronavirus pandemic as she returned to The View for the first time since she announced three days ago that she is expecting.
The 35-year-old host, who filmed Wednesday’s episode from her home via satellite, said she and her husband Ben Domenech are ‘excited’ and a ‘little surprised’ by her pregnancy, but she admitted the global health crisis has made it difficult for them to celebrate.
‘It’s bittersweet because there’s just a lot of people in a lot of pain right now,’ she told her co-stars Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, and guest-host Sara Haines.
Timing: Meghan McCain admitted on Wednesday’s episode of The View that the coronavirus pandemic has made it difficult to celebrate her pregnancy, saying it’s ‘bittersweet’
Staying safe: The 35-year-old co-hosted the episode with Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, and guest panelist Sara Haines via satellite while self-isolating at home
‘I didn’t know if I was ever going to be a mom so I am excited, and I keep trying to remind myself that people have had babies in much worse and much more intense conditions,’ she added.
‘This is just how it’s going to be for a little while. I think there will be a time and a place to talk about this at greater length, but I right now, I think America just wants to talk about the coronavirus.’
McCain went on to show her gratitude for all the support she has received over the past couple of days.
‘Thank you to everyone for the kind words and wishes,’ she said. ‘Ben and I are just completely overwhelmed with all the kindness. So thank you.’
Doctors’ orders: Meghan, who promoted her return to the show on Twitter, previously said her doctors have advised her to self-isolate to keep both her baby and herself safe
McCain announced on social media on Sunday that she is pregnant, less than a year after she penned a heartbreaking op-ed revealing she suffered a miscarriage.
‘My husband Ben and I have been blessed to find out I’m pregnant,’ she wrote. ‘Although this isn’t how I expected to announce my pregnancy, both we and our families are excited to share the news with you all.’
McCain said she’ll be making her View appearances by satellite and join ‘the millions of Americans who are self-isolating as a precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19.’
She explained that she had consulted with her doctors and they told her she ‘should be extra vigilant’ about limiting the number of people she comes in contact with for the safety of both her baby and herself.
Surprise: McCain announced on Sunday that she and her husband Ben Domenech (pictured together two months ago) are expecting a child
Happy: Fellow host Sunny Hostin wished McCain a warm ‘Congratulations’ following her baby announcement on Sunday
Advice: Actress Mia Farrow told McCain to take ‘very good’ care of herself
Congrats: Fox anchor Britt McHenry noted the difficult timing but said she is happy for them
This will be the first child for the couple who tied the knot in November 2017.
‘She and her family are very excited by the news. But right now, she’s finding strength at her role at The View. She knows her most important responsibility is to inform Americans to stay home and minimize the spread of the coronavirus,’ a source close to the TV host said to People.
The baby news comes eight months after McCain wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times revealing she suffered a miscarriage.
In her essay, she shared that she learned the devastating news moments before a cover shoot for The New York Times Magazine.
‘I should have been proud,’ she wrote. ‘But inside, I am dying. Inside, my baby is dying.’
In a People interview from June 2018, McCain revealed she felt pressure from her mother to start having children.
‘She has never asked me before and then all [of a] sudden she brings it up all the time. It’s hilarious and uncomfortable,’ she said.
McCain’s father, revered Republican politician John McCain, died of a brain tumor in August 2018.
She has said in the past that she wants to follow in her parents’ footsteps when it comes to parenting her children.
‘He pulled off being such a good dad. If I ever have kids, I want to figure out how he did it,’ she said of her late father. ‘My mom is truly the matriarch of our family and has kept everyone sane.’