Witney Carson Reflects on Giving Birth to First Baby While Having COVID: 'It Was Really Difficult'
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Witney Carson is looking back on her harrowing experience of giving birth to son Kevin Leo earlier this year while she had COVID-19.
The 27-year-old Dancing with the Stars pro, who has partnered with JuJuBe to launch three different bag styles from JuJuBe's Beyond Collection, recently spoke to PEOPLE about the "difficult" ordeal of contracting the virus just before she welcomed her first baby on Jan. 3.
"It was really difficult, but I'm glad that we're past that," says Carson, whose husband Carson McAllister also had COVID-19 when baby Leo arrived. "And that we're both healthy. But yeah, I definitely was stressed."
Carson and McAllister, who tied the knot on Jan. 1, 2016, learned that they were expecting their first child together in May 2020 — just two months after the country went into a full lockdown to lessen the spread of COVID-19. At the time, the couple was "really nervous" about Carson being pregnant during the ongoing pandemic, the pro dancer says.
Aubree Toupin Carter Witney Carson
"We didn't go anywhere," Carson recalls. "Literally, we stayed at home, and we were really, really afraid because there were no studies about pregnant women. There really were no studies at all for just normal people. But to be pregnant during COVID was really scary."
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Witney Carson/instagram Witney Carson
Despite taking the necessary precautions and hunkering down for months, both Carson and McAllister eventually contracted the virus. They even inadvertently infected her family members, who then had to wait two weeks before they met baby Leo.
"It's just crazy how it worked out," says Carson. "Because we were so worried for all those nine months of getting it, getting it, getting it. And then finally, when I actually really didn't need to get it, I got it. And we were so careful."
Now months later, Carson confirms that while her parents had "a little bit more severe symptoms" than she and McAllister, the entire family is healthy today. "That's all that matters now," she says.
Aubree Toupin Carter
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Thanks to Carson's collaboration with JuJuBee, the new mom is able to keep all her mom-related items together with the Million Pockets Deluxe Backpack, the 24-7 Tote with removable After Hours Clutch, and the Day 2 Night Crossbody Bag, all of which come in "Spice," one of Carson's favorite colors.
All three bags, as Carson tells PEOPLE, are perfect products to use when traveling.
"I've used every single bag because I wanted to try out every single bag to make sure what we designed was the perfect fit for moms, and for people that have a lot going on in their lives," Carson says. "For me, I wanted to make sure that we designed something that not only looked really pretty, but also had a place for everything."
Aubree Toupin Carter Witney Carson
Aubree Toupin Carter Witney Carson
Carson even thinks that fellow moms will prefer the functionable JuJuBee bags over the standard diaper bags.
"Everything is so well put together, so organized, and I'm not an organized person naturally," she admits. "So for me, this bag, this collection, has been a lifesaver. It really, really has. So I guarantee anybody who tries it will love it."
"It's so comfortable too," Carson says. "I actually just took my backpack with me to California, and we walked miles every day. And I was worried about the comfortability, but it is so comfortable."
