Savannah Guthrie has revealed that she experienced a miscarriage at the age of 41.
Guthrie, 50, discussed the challenges of having her second child in an interview for the April 2022 cover of Good Housekeeping, with her Today co-host, Hoda Kotb.
Prior to the miscarriage, the television host had welcomed her first child, Vale, now seven.
“I stopped even letting myself hope or believe I could [get pregnant], because the years were getting on,” she explained. “It wasn’t that I thought it was impossible; I just thought it wasn’t likely. I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”
“I just tried to tell myself that it would be OK if it didn’t happen: ‘Maybe it’s not meant for me, and that’s OK because I’ve already been blessed so much in my life. I’m not entitled to have a baby,’” she added. “Looking back, that mindset was probably a self-defence mechanism.”
Guthrie also went through two rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF) before welcoming her second son, Charley when she was 44 years old.
She also told the publication how throughout her difficulties with infertility, her mother, Nancy Guthrie, was one of her biggest support systems.
“My mom got me through the personal trials of my 30s,” she said. “It was great to have her, because she was just always so certain. She’d say, ‘Well, of course you’re going to have your family, Savannah!’ It felt good.”
According to the Today host, she enjoys being an “older mom,” as she’s no longer the “stressed, anxious, and insecure” person that she was in her 30s.
“By this time in life you’ve seen a few things and you know how to weather the ups and downs,” she said. “I’m glad my kids don’t have the stressed, anxious and insecure 30-year-old version of me. The peace and calmness that comes with age is a great thing for kids to see in action.”
Regardless of age, Guthrie acknowledged how all parents can still relate to each other, when it comes to having moments of “low energy” and feeling “frustrated.”
“Sometimes I wonder, on a Saturday afternoon when I’m really tired, ‘Do younger parents feel this way?’” she continued. “And the answer is yes. I know them, they’re my friends — and they’re exhausted. All parents have those moments of low energy and times they’re frustrated. That’s just the nature of it.”
Guthrie also confessed that she does not “know what balance is,” as she has to manage her personal and professional life.
“Sometimes you’re out of whack — and sometimes you have a good day,” she added. “I don’t even think in those terms. My family is my priority — it’s not even a close call — but I have a job that I just love. And so I try to do both to the best of my ability.”
