Ana Ortiz Talks Pregnancy Nerves, Cravings, and More

Ugly Betty star Ana Ortiz is busily getting ready to welcome her first child this summer. The mom-to-be recently sat down with Pregnancy magazine to talk about

Some highlights from the interview:

On what has surprised her the most about being pregnant:
"How great it's been! I was sort of nervous about the whole thing— just working and them not writing it into the show; I was just nervous about a whole slew of things. But I've just loved, loved the whole experience."

And her least favorite:
"The morning sickness was pretty miserable. Being nauseous for three months was horrible. I got lucky that I didn't have to throw up."

On pregnancy cravings:
"This baby has definitely given me a sweet tooth. There is absolutely no way I can have dinner without dessert. It's just really physically impossible for me. But food aversions? Not really— food has been my friend."

On which of her qualities she hopes the baby inherits and avoids:
"Oh, I hope the baby gets my sense of family— my devotion and love to the family and that closeness that we all have. I hope my kid gets my rhythm and dancing abilities and not my husband's. My husband's a terrible dancer. And I hope she doesn't get my temper, because I have a short fuse."

On her labor anxiety:
"I'm nervous about labor. To me, it is just so unknown; I mean I have been a birthing partner for two of my girlfriends. It was incredible and that actually helped a lot! So I think the experience became a little less scary for me. It's still such a different experience being on the other side of it. But you know, [my friend] is going to be there with me and my mom and my husband are going to be there, so I guess it's going to be OK."

On breastfeeding:
"You know what I'm really nervous about is breastfeeding, actually. I've heard so many incredibly difficult stories, and its something that I really want to do, but I'm just so nervous about it."

On her birth plan:
"Epidural, I'm pretty sure. My girlfriend was really trying for natural and we went as far as she could. I am telling you, I felt like Shirley MacLaine in Terms of Endearment because as soon as she was like, "I think I need the epidural." I was running in the hallway: "Get my daughter the meds! Get her the epidural!" It was just very animal, it wasn't horrible, and it was just an incredible intense, intense thing. It's hard to see someone you love in that kind of state."

On what kind of mom she hopes to be:
"I hope to be creative and patient and loving and hopeful. My mom had so much [creativity]. We were so broke growing up and I would have never known."

On her favorite thing about being pregnant:
"Going through this experience with my husband and his reaction to it all. It has brought us so close. He has been more incredible than I could of even possibly have imagined. I don't think there's been a day that has gone by that he hasn't been like, "You are so beautiful. You look amazing. You look beautiful." And it's not placating to make me feel better. It's just so genuine and for me that has been a real eye-opening and beautiful part of the whole thing."

Source: Pregnancy