I could feel the pain in her voice, the anger and betrayal she felt. Once home, now seemed distant arch-rival. Her dream of motherhood cut short her dream of playing for one of the best teams. She had to part ways with her childhood friends and seek refuge in another team. Her desire to birth and enjoy the pleasures of a woman was not approved by her coach at the time. Joining motherhood was an approval of her dismal from the team. Maybe that didn’t hurt her as much as the thought that she had a woman Coach. She looked at her as safe haven. She knew she had an anchor to hold on to for the 9 months and the progressive months post-birth as she returned to the field. To her dismay, she was rendered as useful as a water boy on the team to her dismay. Her efforts to prove the Coach wrong were only appreciated when she joined a rival team and became a menace to her former allies.
The notion that once a woman gets pregnant, her performance will not be as good as before is ancient and archaic. It should be buried with the conspiracy theorists that coined it.
While carrying her unborn child at eight months, Serena Williams won the Australian Open in 2017. A friend recently told me that she was playing in the National basketball league up to six months of her pregnancy. Why are we pushing women athletes to choose between athletics and motherhood? Why do we continue to entertain such backward assumptions? Who said that pregnancy correlates with dormancy or poor performance? Having children is not a career-ender.
Pregnancy is not messing up. It is a part of a successful sports career, as shown by many women athletes. The years 2017 and 2018 were crazy for the brand Nike, as a couple of women came out to pour scorn on the pregnancy policies that the company had at the time. Athletes like Allyson Felix, one of the most decorated Track and Field athletes, came out to expose the 70 percent cut that Nike had indicated on her contract, given that she had recently given birth. A number of other women athletes joined her to expose companies that had similar contracts belittling while one was on maternity. This raised the public’s eyebrows and a congressional investigation into the matter. One of the questions paused from the many asked were;
“Has Nike ever ceased sponsorship payments to male athletes when they became fathers?”
Following these events, Nike, alongside other companies, had their contracts redefined to guarantee an athlete’s pay and bonuses for 18 months around pregnancy.
There is no limit to what women can accomplish regardless of their parenthood status. Undeniably, motherhood comes with more responsibilities, but this doesn’t guarantee their performance will decline or be unworthy of displaying. It’s a taste of one’s virtues and values one holds onto. Honestly, a top-performing athlete whether at an elite level or leisure level, will, in most cases, fight to have a comeback after they have had a setback or lost some time tending to another aspect of their being.
Interestingly, there is no straightforward rule for when women should return to sports after giving birth. Whether elite or recreational athletes, it depends on the support and the personal zeal to make a return to active participation in sports. Other than the physical changes that a woman could be experiencing, weight gain, tear while giving birth, and the fragility of bone tissues, the mental aspect plays a crucial role in their recovery. Postpartum is a proven state of mind that women experience, where they feel self-hate or hate for their babies coupled with less motivation. This can be experienced for a short time frame, as low as 5 days, while it can go on for the next 12 months in some women.
In most cases, a top-performing elite, pro, or recreational athlete will have the pressure to make a comeback, and she will be pushed to exert pressure. However, this may not be the best option given that the pregnancy posture is way different from after birth, and one is likely to injure the pelvis. Simple exercises come in handy at the start to restore the body’s posture, shed off some weight, and overcome postpartum depression. In the case of cesarean, patience is needed as one waits for the wound to heal and avoid infections.
So how do we create enabling environments for these mothers to have a safe and better return to sports? A lot is already going on in the athlete’s life, and the least she deserves is a negative attitude from the environment around her as they return to the field. We, the fellow players and the coaches, provide a suitable environment to allow the mothers to heal and regain their composure. There is no need to underlook a mother in sports as they may take time to recover, but soon their efforts will pay off, and they will regain their former composure and physical activity.
It’s amazing how the female anatomy can undergo different pressures and will still return to shape.
Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers (in sports or any other field)!
Image source: Business Today
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