Shelby Latino stepping away from forecasting to focus on her ‘full house’ (2024)

Published: Nov. 23, 2021 at 9:16 AM CST

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Shelby Latino first started at FOX 8 in 2015, eager to forecast the weather in the community where she grew up.

“I think that’s the coolest thing, you know? That I can just talk to a camera and instantly connect with thousands of people across Southeast Louisiana, which is my home,” she said.

She quickly found her footing on the morning show, even as her family grew from the birth of her oldest daughter Jenna to her middle child, Martha. Shelby never missed a beat as she welcomed her precious children into the Fox 8 family and on-air to all of the Fox 8 viewing area.

Early this year, Shelby and her husband Kyle decided they would try for one more baby to complete their family.

“Kyle had kind of suggested maybe we stopped at three and I was like, ‘You know what, I don’t think we can do another pregnancy like this, so we’ll stop at three kids. That’ll make a full family,’” she said.

But it was clear early in the pregnancy that this time felt different. Shelby thought maybe she was having a boy, or perhaps even twins.

“(Kyle) works in a hospital, so he said, ‘Come in, I’ll do an ultrasound and prove to you that there’s just one baby in there.’ So we went and did the ultrasound and, sure enough, they found three heartbeats. And I mean I can’t even describe ... we were in such shock, because who does that happen to?” she said.

After 30 weeks and only one day of bed rest, Shelby gave birth to three little girls: Elaine, Mabel, and Ruth.

“The first couple months really was spent in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). And that was pretty crazy because I had the big girls here at home (on the North Shore) and then you know the NICU is at Touro in the city. So, I was having to wake up every morning and commute into the city,” she said.

She did that for weeks, even through Hurricane Ida, briefly losing communication with the hospital before she was able to return. But eventually, the babies were healthy enough to make it home.

More: Exciting news! Fox 8 meteorologist Shelby Latino’s triplets come home

“Now we’ve got it down to where one person can feed all three babies, which allows us to take turns, get a break during the day, get a nap, get a break at night so that everybody gets a decent four hours stretch of sleep or something and then that gives us some time to play with the big girls,” Shelby said.

It’s a bit of a juggling act, but Shelby and Kyle have a ton of help from friends, family, and, of course, their big girls.

“They love the babies! Jenna has a very strong maternal instinct, and she loves to cuddle them and hold them and kiss them. And Martha copies everything Jenna does, so she loves to hug and kiss on the babies too,” Shelby said.

But with so many little girls, now all under 3 1/2, Shelby knows her priorities are shifting.

“Being home has made me realize how much I enjoyed being with my family,” she said, “but it always made me realize how much I miss being at Fox 8 with the team and forecasting every morning and having a little bit of time to do something that I enjoyed, that I feel like I’m good at.

“When it comes to five kids, you think about all the things they need outside of just food and play, right? They need their mom for doctor visits, and when you’re not feeling well and they have to stay home from school, and those are the things that get at my heart. The big events, the holidays and things like that, that sometimes you have to miss out on when you’re working. That’s what kind of ate at me as far as making this decision.”

Now Shelby is stepping away from forecasting and Fox 8 to focus on her growing family. But she is incredibly grateful for the time spent with the community and the trust that so many viewers placed with her every morning on Fox 8 Morning Edition.

“That makes it all the more special and all the more difficult to say goodbye, or to say, ‘See you later,’” she said.

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