Second lady Usha Vance gets candid about new baby, juggling four children and motherhood

FIRST ON FOX: In her first interview since the birth of her fourth child with Vice President JD Vance just a few weeks ago, Usha Vance described the joy of being a new mother all over again during a candid interview with Fox News Digital on Tuesday, August 4.

The interview came on the same day the newest episode of her popular podcast, "Storytime with the Second Lady," was set to go live. 

"It's been really lovely so far," she said of the experience of having four children, speaking from the Vice President's Residence. "One of the things that has just been beautiful to see is how excited my older kids are about their new brother. They're always fighting over holding him. When we do diaper changes or clothes changes, one of them is always there helping. They're willing to burp him, they want to grab things for him, they want to entertain him."

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She added, "So there's this really great way in which their needs are complimentary with his."

Vice President Vance and his wife announced the birth of their fourth child in a July 20 Instagram post, as Fox News Digital previously reported. The couple said their baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born on Sunday morning, July 19. 

"We are excited to announce that our baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born this morning," the couple wrote. "Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother."

On Tuesday in her on-camera interview with Fox News Digital, Mrs. Vance called out the importance of doing things one on one with each of her children and the baby.

"They feel like they're getting their own personal time with both of us," she said. 

"For example, we go out [of the residence] and do something every day. And we've been doing that since the day we came home from the hospital. So yesterday was my middle child's day, and we went to a bookstore, we went to lunch — we did a quick return at a shop, and the whole time, it was just really special.

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"And we're trying to do that all the time. Now, I'm sure there are going to be hiccups here and there! But for right now, they seem to be really thriving."

She added, "My older kids see this as only good for themselves. Like, there's only one more kid to add to their pack. The parents are now outnumbered two to one!"

She referenced the jitters she had a bit ago — and how those were swiftly put to rest, and now part of the past.

"I would say I had all sorts of angst about this. My family [had] felt so complete. My kids were growing into a new phase," said Mrs. Vance. 

Now, she said, "I'm really glad that we took this plunge. I'm really glad that we decided to move into the unknown and do something that felt like a little bit of a risk to a settled and happy family dynamic because it's only become happier.

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"And we're looking forward to seeing what the next few years bring."

She is also continuing to expand and develop her podcast, "Storytime with the Second Lady."

The latest episode features author Jackie Oshry reading her children's book about summer camp. Mrs. Vance said the podcast is designed to encourage children not only to read books but also to imagine creating stories of their own.

"One of the things we're trying to do with this podcast is highlight authors of books to show [the children] that it's not just reading that you can do," she said. "You can imagine your own stories. You can write them yourself."

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So why this signature issue for her as second lady — and not others that she might have chosen? Mrs. Vance said that reading has long been one of her favorite hobbies and something she enjoys sharing with her own children. 

She said she chose literacy as one of her key initiatives because she wanted to make "a concrete change" while serving as second lady. She noted how critical it is that children in America develop a love of, and facility with, reading from a young age. 

She is also encouraging children in kindergarten through eighth grade to participate in the White House Summer Reading Challenge by reading 12 books before the end of August. Families who complete the challenge will be entered to win prizes — including a chance to visit the White House, she said.

In the waning weeks of summer, Mrs. Vance said her family is preparing for a new school year by gathering school supplies, organizing clothes and spending as much time outdoors as possible before classes begin for her older children.

"We're trying to make it a celebratory thing," she said of the family's back-to-school traditions. 

"Over the month of August, we slowly get everything prepared so it doesn't come as too much of a shock when they have to wake up at 6:30 again every morning."

President Donald Trump declared in a Truth Social post right after the Vances' new baby was born, "Congratulations! A perfect baby boy for the wonderful Vance family."

His post included a photo of the infant and two children.