Getting Real with Bethenny Frankel

AB: What was it like taking Bryn home from the hospital?

BF: I had never really held a baby and had never changed a baby's diaper before I had Bryn. I couldn't believe they let me leave the hospital. Babies are so fragile—and Bryn was a preemie. I was terrified. At first I would imagine dropping her—crazy, irrational thoughts!

AB: How did you calm down after the initial shock?

BF: Everybody makes things sound so much more complicated and scary than they need to be. Everything's really simple. Every day, I just face whatever it is and life gets better. You get to know yourself, and you get to know the baby, and everything is okay. You aren't dealt anything you can't handle.

AB: So is life easier to handle these days?

BF: I can be a little crazy and I don't want Bryn to be crazy. They say babies' personalities turn out to be similar to what they are in infancy and she seems like a really nice, sweet girl. We sing and we do dance parties. I'm so proud when I realize that my baby is happy.

AB: You look fantastic. Could you talk about how you lost the baby weight?

BF: For many women, losing the baby weight is like January 1st: They go to the gym and put all this pressure on themselves and then they rebel. You do have to cut back a little, but you have to be relaxed about it. Just take a deep breath and know that it will all fall into place.

AB: Is there a workout you've settled on?

BF: I take Bryn in the baby carrier for an hour and that's my exercise. I'm walking her, I'm getting exercise—everyone's happy. We take strolls along the Hudson River, too. I also do yoga at home. You really can get a good workout at home. I put Bryn nearby and my dog, Cookie, is on the mat and everyone is doing yoga together. I've decided that a family that Namastes together, stays together.

AB: With a new marriage, new motherhood, and several reality shows, do you get any time to relax?

BF: I do bath time with Bryn every night. We call them "bathies." My husband, Jason, sits on the side and assists and when Bryn is done, he takes her and I have my bath. I'm already in there, I'm already wet, so I just heat the water a little and do the bubbles and the candles and that's my daily activity. It's my ritual. It relaxes me and it's my own time.

AB: What's a product that you couldn't live without?

BF: A pod coffee maker. First of all, it's expensive to buy coffee at a store everyday and it gets cold by the time you get home. I joke with Jason every morning, asking, "Is the barista open?" He makes a little design in my coffee foam and he puts cinnamon on and says, "The barista is now open."

AB: So do you think you'll have more kids?

BF: Jason wants to have another baby, but I'm not sure. Right now the clothes are sitting in purgatory!

Originally published in the February 2011 issue of American Baby magazine.