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CNN Anchor Poppy Harlow Faints On Live TV

By Christina St Jean
Published on: 00:49 PST, Dec 29, 2015

Pregnant CNN anchor Poppy Harlow stunned television audiences when, during an explanation of a poll regarding the war on terror, her words became slurred. Off camera, the news anchor succumbed to the fear of many pregnant women: she fainted on live TV.

Harlow announced earlier this year that she was expecting a child. She has been an active presence on CNN since 2008 and has worked as a business correspondent and an anchor for CNN Money. She began duties as a regular weekend anchor earlier this year, but when she fainted on live TV, she was filling in for Carol Costello, another CNN anchor, according to AJC.com.

Monday, Harlow was reporting that 74 percent of Americans were not happy with how the war on terror is going, according to Perez Hilton, and while her voice can be heard clearly over the voiceover, a pause can be heard before she starts to slur her words. CNN producers cut to commercial, and Harlow was immediately checked out by doctors after she fainted on live TV.

According to BabyCenter, it is not uncommon for pregnant women to feel dizzy or faint. Blood volume increases by 30 to 50 percent, the heart works harder and, in general, the cardiovascular system is working harder than ever to keep blood moving throughout the mom-to-be’s body. BabyCenter also cites being overheated as a reason why pregnant women might faint.

Other causes of dizziness and fainting in pregnant women include anemia, lack of food or drink — some pundits have said that the energy expenditure during nine months of pregnancy is equivalent to running a marathon without training for it, and so women need to ensure they consume enough — hyperventilation, standing too quickly, and lying down on your back can all cause a sense of feeling faint in pregnancy.

In fact, it was being overheated that apparently caused the CNN anchor to faint on live TV.

“I got a little hot and I passed out for a moment. I am fine,” Harlow admitted when she returned to the broadcast 10 minutes later, according to the Independent.

Christine Romans then subbed in for Harlow, who was examined again by doctors at the hospital to ensure both she and her baby are doing well after she’d fainted on live TV. Harlow later tweeted her appreciation for the concern her fans showed and assured everyone that both she and the baby are fine in spite of the scare. Harlow also said she was grateful for how quickly the CNN team acted and reacted to the scare, in addition to how supportive her colleagues were at CNN.

Harlow is approximately six months pregnant, and according to TVNewser, it is the first child for Harlow and her husband, Sinisa Babcic. The duo are expecting a little girl, and Harlow said that she and her husband are excited for the new addition, who is set to appear in early spring. Of course, there are still three more months to get through for Harlow, and with the scare she had in fainting on live TV, she will doubtless be doubly cautious about taking care of herself.

“We could not be more thrilled to have a little girl on the way,” Harlow said of the pregnancy. “We feel blessed and are excited for the adventure ahead.”

Harlow and Babcic have been married since 2012, and while the CNN anchor fainted on live TV, it would seem that the mishap was merely a scare and nothing more serious. Fainting on live TV will definitely be a memory that Poppy Harlow will likely soon want to forget, although it is probable the new mom is looking forward to the day when she can tell her daughter that all the trouble was worth it.

[Photo by Thomas Concordia/Getty Images]

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