KMOV-TV Anchor Virginia Kerr Announced Her Pregnancy on the Air in May, and now Prepares to Embark on an Exciting New Life as a Mom

By Amy Burger

KMOV-TV “Awake” anchor Virginia Kerr recently announced her first pregnancy on the air. I caught up with Kerr, who is due in early October, for a phone interview about her expectant motherhood and balancing the busy life of a local TV personality with the busy life of a new mom.

The bubbling University of Alabama graduate has been a staple of the Channel 4 news team since 2003. Kerr has really made St. Louis her home and, after marrying a native last summer, she said she’s excited to start her new family here. When asked about the anticipation of her firstborn, Kerr immediately choked up – leaving behind the perfectly poised TV reporter and gushing like any first-time parent would.

“I’ve been married a year, and it’s just exciting to expand our family,” she said. “I’m looking forward to all the fun activities people do with their kids, but most of all, I’m looking forward to seeing my husband become a father because I know he’s going to be so great at it.”

Kerr’s pregnancy has been all the more exciting because she’s sharing the experience with a close family member. She and husband Jason had a double wedding last summer with his brother and his fiancée, who are now also expecting their first child, due just two days earlier than Kerr’s.

“It’s really fun because we got married together and now we’ll have our first kids together,” she said. Although she plans to find out the sex of the baby, she and her husband intend to keep it a secret, at least as long as possible. “I’m such a visual person – I want to know who this person is that’s in my daydreams every day,” said Kerr.

For the moment, they are calling the baby by the nickname “Skittles” because, Kerr explained, when she first found out she was pregnant they equated the size of the fetus with a bite-sized candy.

Even for a seasoned TV reporter who has experienced many “firsts” on air, the unexpected world of motherhood can cause some anxiety. When asked what she is most nervous about, Kerr replied, “Just those first few weeks, not knowing what to do. I’m not really a ‘kid person’ in that I don’t run up to other people’s kids or have a lot of experience with them. That’s why I’m really relying on my husband because he’s so great with kids – he has three nieces − I know he’ll really pick up the slack.”

Fortunately for Kerr, the erratic sleep schedule of a new mom is something the news anchor is already used to, as she reports to work at 2:30 a.m. “I already sleep in shifts of four hours during the day and four hours at night, so my body is used to that.”

As for her public versus private life, she definitely plans to share the ups and downs of motherhood with her viewers, while still respecting her husband’s privacy. “I’m not a very private person anyway, so I’m happy to share and help inspire other moms,” Kerr said.

Kerr hopes she can instill some of the wisdom she got from her own mom in her child. “My mom is really my inspiration. She always believed in me and she is a big part of what I have achieved in my life,” she said. “Both my mom and mother-in-law are such generous and giving people. I just hope I can be like that with my kids.”

As with most things she does, Kerr is ready to dive headfirst into her new role as a mom. “I’m just really looking forward to it,” she said. “The people I work with who have kids seem to have a truly different view of the world, and I can’t wait to cross that threshold.”

This story appears in the Summer issue of St. Louis Kids Magazine

PHOTOS: Upper right: Virginia and Jason at their summer 2009 wedding. Left: Camping is one of Virginia and Jason's favorite pasttimes. Photos courtesy of Virginia Kerr