Karina Smirnoff Is Quarantining at Her Parents’ House With Baby Theo Amid Motherhood ‘Anxiety’

As Karina Smirnoff was “going through a lot of anxiety” about becoming a mom ahead of son Theo’s birth in April, the Dancing With the Stars pro decided to move back in with her parents for support. The star has been quarantining with her family ever since.

“I love babies, but when I would come to my friends who had a newborn and they were like, ‘Here, hold,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, how do I?’” she explained about her parenting concerns to Us Weekly on May 28. “I wouldn’t even know how to grab him or her. So, I was panicking thinking, ‘OK, the baby’s going to be born and I’m not even going to know how to change a diaper.’ And everybody’s like, ‘It comes instinctively, don’t worry.’”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-uUuUaD11H/

Since Karina needed a good support system, she decided to move back home amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, that brought along a few new challenges of its own. “I think when you are not used to living with your parents for a long time as an adult and then suddenly you are, wow, that’s a whole different set of skills that you have to attain,” she explained. “And I love them to death, they’ve been so incredibly helpful and I wouldn’t be able to do it without them, but that’s 24-7 in closed doors.”

In order for Karina to not get stressed out, she would “take a minute and take a breath” every now and then. The athlete said it also helps to play a few of your favorite songs. “I mean, you can always lock yourself in one of the rooms and put on the song that you like and the music takes you to a different place and then you come back out and everything is good again,'” she added.

Being at home has also made Karina more confident about her parenting. “If I’m not changing him, I’m feeding him, if I’m not feeding him, I’m changing him,” she explained during a May 1 interview with Anna Trebunskaya. “And the farts, oh my god, the farts are so loud. When I’m holding him and he does it and the whole family looks at me, I’m like, it’s not me, it’s him!” Theo has brought so much joy to his mom’s life!