Britt Moreno Returns To CBS4 A New Mom In A 'New World'

DENVER (CBS4)- It's a spectacular day in Colorado. Blue skies, bright sunshine. The kind of summer day most of us might even call "typical" in our great state. But for CBS4 This Morning anchor Britt Moreno, her husband Jordan, and their new baby Weston – this was a big day. For the first time since Weston was born, the family was ready to venture outside.

"Everything had been closed. We were staying home on doctor's orders. We had basically been living in a bubble since Weston was born," Britt told CBS4 News Director Tim Wieland.

When they could finally go outside earlier this month, they took a walk to a nearby park.

"It was a big moment! We were like, 'Hey buddy, there's the grass, here's a tree, there's the sky!' We were so excited to show him all these things because before we could just stare out the window and point."

Weston arrived just as the coronavirus pandemic arrived in Colorado. Britt and Jordan went to the hospital on March 12. During the few days of their stay, their world changed with the arrival of a healthy, baby boy – and they soon realized, the outside world was changing, too.

"Weston was born on a Friday, the same day as the first death related to COVID-19 in Colorado," Britt said. "That's when I think everybody realized, this is very scary."

The next day, as people across Colorado bought up toilet paper and bread, patients inside the hospital began taking baby wipes, diapers and hand sanitizer, "They had to lock everything up."

A doctor suggested to Britt and Jordan that they might be safer at home, so they headed out.

"We were in the hospital, and we really didn't know what we were stepping out into."

That new world – completely different from the one that existed when they entered the hospital – has required a great deal of patience and acceptance.

"You envision your maternity leave a certain way: being able to go out, show off the baby or have family and friends come over and see him. It obviously hasn't been that. It's just been us hunkered down at home."

Britt acknowledges it's been lonely at times, "It can feel isolating."

And, she experiences the same uncertainty we've all felt these last few months, "It's just been this constant looming feeling. You wake up thinking about COVID-19 and go to bed thinking about COVID-19, and when it will all end."

Still, Britt also appreciates that the family has remained healthy, and she values the time with her husband, "For us, it's made our relationship even stronger – because we've only been able to count on one another."

Britt says she also leans on her background as a journalist to help her get through this difficult time. She watches the news and reads articles online to keep up with the latest information, and uses her research experience to review the latest CDC recommendations and COVID-19 data. She's also been taking notes and recording audio journals to help remember this moment in history – looking forward to the day they can share it with Weston.

"We've also saved newspapers. One of them was given to us while we were in the hospital and it basically says 'PANIC' in bold across the headline. We're going to have all this to help show Weston the world he was brought into."

Now, Britt prepares to enter yet another new world – balancing her role as a mom and a journalist. On Monday, Britt returns to the anchor desk for CBS4 This Morning.

"I'm excited, but I'm already starting to feel that conflict like any new parent. I want to give 100% as a journalist, and at the same time, give 100% to my baby. Every parent has to go through that. You've just got to figure out the balance."

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Britt is ready to come back to the newsroom but knows even that experience will be different, "I'll be diligent, wiping everything down, wearing a mask. I'll tell my sweet producers 'I love you, but I can't hug you right now!' I know there will be a new normal at work too."

The "new normal" for Britt begins Monday, June 22. She'll once again be telling stories, knowing that one day it will be her son Weston who will have the greatest story to tell.

"He's a quarantine baby. Born in an era of pandemic. He's going to have such a story to share."