Every working parent faces trade-offs and obstacles.
All this has changed conversations and expectations surrounding pregnant and postpartum athletes.
Heres how four Olympians and Parlaympians say theyre making it work.
Courtesy of Elle St. Pierre; Courtesy of Lora Webster; Gotham FC/Devon Cafaro; Courtesy of Adeline Gray
Soccer star Crystal Dunn continually teases out new meaningin sportandlife.
But Im also trying to keep smiling while doing it.
Crystal Dunnstarted playing soccer as a kid in Queens.
Gotham FC/Devon Cafaro
She still loved the gamebut having amassed all those accolades, she discovered she was missing a spark.
I needed something different to shake up my outlook on me as a soccer player.
So she took on a new identity: momshe gave birth to her son Marcel in May of 2022.
Courtesy of Adeline Gray
But I almost feel like my son is like my calm.
He allows me to hit reset and focus on things that truly matter.
So she leaned on her village to help her get back.
Courtesy of Lora Webster
In addition to supportive teammates, athlete moms need institutional support to make their lives work, she says.
Fortunately, NJ/NY Gotham FC pays travel expenses for Marcels nanny.
This makes these dual roles feasible, if not easy.
Courtesy of Elle St. Pierre
Being a mom is hard.
Im not saying that every woman is going to want to walk in the same footsteps, Dunn says.
But it should always be an option.
For Dunn, the challenges have been worth it.
She watches Marcel as he tries new things like walking, kicking a soccer ball, or speaking French.
Even if he falls or fails, he stands back up and tries again.
As long as Im still on the field playing soccer, I always want to be the best.
In the heat of the game, its already so intense.
Seeing his name is a reminder to find my joy.
The postpartum period needs that same care.
Combat sports like wrestling involve aggression, power, and toughness.
For nearly three decades sinceAdeline Graystarted wrestling boys at age sixthere wasnt a girls team yetthats been her world.
So when the freestyle wrestler had her daughter O.J.
Theyre tiny creatures that you have to take care of, she tells SELF.
Her postpartum body, which was sleep-deprived and feeding two new humans, required more grace than she expected.
She went to her six-week checkup confident shed be cleared to work out.
Instead, her doctors told her she wasnt even close.
So Gray pivoted to what shecoulddo.
When she couldnt train much physically, she focused on mental skills.
She worked with two sport psychologists, honing a premeet routine to get her head in the right place.
But with time and grace, her fighters skills and mindset sharpened.
To further hone her ability to switch gears, she maintained her mindfulness practice, eventually incorporating the kids.
Shell start a meditation session with her psychologist on Zoom, with A.D. and O.J.
playing in the room.
If she hears a crash, shell put herself on mute and investigate.
If no ones hurt, shell quickly return to her zen.
The most successful athletes are able to do that quicker.
Volleyballer Lora Webster builds the confidence to advocate for what she needs.
So my kids are my training partners; we play on the living room floor.
When I first came back to competing, it was the loneliest Ive ever been.
Its remarkable when I think about how it used to be and how much easier it was this time.
The Games is such a huge deal; we practice four years to get there, Webster tells SELF.
I didnt want it to upset anybody or to unsettle the team.
But Webster suffered as a consequence.
It was miserable, she says.
To not be able to share something we were so excited about put me in a yucky place.
In Tokyo in 2021, Webster once again competed five months pregnant, with her daughter Cassidy.
This time, she shared the news with her teammatesand theworld.
Webster, too, was more secure in her capabilities and needs.
That was a big difference.
Over time, she began to speak up about the extra strain this caused.
Eventually, the team made shifts in both the schedule and the setup.
We learned as I put us in uncomfortable situations over and over again, she says.
The team and my coach adapted.
By the time Cassidy came around, there was a Pack n Play kept at the training camp gym.
As Webster now tells other athletes, Your kids will be okay.
Track star Elle St. Pierre taps into support from the folks who know her best.
Middle-distance runnerElle St. Pierreloves to winand often she does.
The two connected more deeply while attending a high-altitude training camp in Flagstaff, Arizona.
She also credits her family for their role in her busy day-to-day.
Afterward, she gave aninterviewto NBCs Lewis Johnson, Ivan in her arms.
The race hurt, but not as bad as her 12-hour labor, she said.
Its a win for all of us.
Theyre the ones that got me here, she said.
