Three Paris ’24 Olympian mothers on overcoming ‘mum guilt’ and thriving in sports
“Being a mum has made me a better athlete and being an athlete has made me a better mum.”
Rebuilding self-confidence, self-belief, and body image after pregnancy and childbirth can be a tough journey, even for Olympic athletes.
Water Polo player Keesja Gofers, Marathoner Genevieve Gregson, and Kayaker Alyce Wood open up to Bounty Parents, sharing their personal experiences on balancing motherhood and elite athleticism.
Ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Keesja, Genevieve and Alyce chat about tackling “mum guilt” and being present for their families while competing at the highest level.
Keesja Gofers – Water Polo player and Bellamy’s Organic Olympic Ambassador
Can you share your journey into motherhood and how it impacted your athletic career?
The first 20 weeks I suffered from extreme nausea and vomiting. During this time, doing normal daily activities like walking my dog around the block was difficult. I had salty snacks with me everywhere I went!
During the first 18 weeks, I didn’t compete or train with anywhere near the usual intensity, but I did manage to do my rehab exercises regularly, do pilates and go for very slow swims.
Another reason I didn’t train was because of anxiety. Before Teleri was born (we call her T), I was pregnant and had a miscarriage at 15 weeks. With T, I was extremely anxious to play games.
Water Polo is a contact sport, however, I was cleared to play games, and I know many women do in these early stages. It is safe given the position of the fetus. For me, I was more comfortable not being involved in contact in any way for my entire pregnancy.
During the second half of my pregnancy I felt really good. I returned to training sessions and I loved being in the water, it was my happy place, I felt light and weightless. I trained right up to the day of Teleri’s birth – she was born 21st March 2023.
What was your journey back to elite-level form and what motivated you to return?
I have had amazing support. My coaches have worked closely with medical support staff, including my women’s health physio. Water Polo Australia has also done everything they can to support my return. But without a doubt, I could not have done this with the unrelenting support of my husband and my mum.
My daughter is my motivation and having her see and be around the inspiring, strong female athletes day in and day out, cemented that it has been the right decision.
Did you face any unique challenges as a mum returning to competition, and how did you overcome them?
In a lot of ways, being an athlete and a mum doesn’t work together. As an athlete, you prioritise your recovery, your sleep, and your nutrition – you prioritise yourself. When you bring a little person into the mix, what you want goes out the window! You’re on their schedule now.
Leaving T was and remains hard due to mum guilt. My first major competition was in Doha for the World Championships and T didn’t come with me. It was an 18-day long tour, and prior to this I hadn’t spent one night away for her, which was tough. My husband moved in with his parents to make it work. T was only 10 months old at the time and safe to say she wasn’t too invested in our FaceTime conversations for longer than 20 seconds. My way to navigate it was to get lots of photos and videos, and send videos of myself singing T’s favourite tunes – these videos will never see the light of day!
What advice do you have for working mums juggling career and family priorities?
Mum guilt is real. I can only speak to my own experience, but the way I see it is that by doing what I am doing, that my daughter will have a role model that she is proud of when she is old enough to understand what I have done. It really does take a village to raise a child, so I know, when I am not there, that my village of people is doing a great job looking after her and letting her know how loved and cared for she is.
Genevieve Gregson – Marathoner and Bellamy’s Organic Olympic Ambassador
Can you share your journey into motherhood and how it impacted your athletic career?
I always wanted to be as active as possible when I decided to fall pregnant, however, my circumstance was a little different than I had always imagined. When I ruptured my Achilles tendon at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, I found a window in my normally vigorous schedule to break and breathe and start a family.
I did a lot of different forms of exercise while pregnant, but running wasn’t really an option during this phase due to
my injury. In saying that, growing my baby boy, Archer, who was born 15th June 2022, while rehabbing a very difficult injury went hand in hand for me because I had always wanted to be a mother and it took away the anxiety and stress of being sidelined from what I love to do.
What was your journey back to elite-level form, and what motivated you to return?
Although becoming a mum had its challenges, it was also such an exciting journey for me. Everything was so new, so I was able to take the pressure and expectation away from my performances and let my body take the time it needed to return. I used my training as a way to energise myself when I had a rough night from not much sleep.
Running for me is a happy place so rather than feeling like it was an extra load on top of being a new mum, it was another fun challenge to watch my body progress and regain strength and endurance over time.
As you worked your fitness levels back up were there any surprises along the way?
So many times. My last year has been filled with personal milestones that have made me so proud of where I have come from. My athletic career has jumped to a new high over the last six months and it has been the most magical time for my family and me. I am so lucky to have the support I do at home because my team around me are the reason I even have the opportunity to be a mum and an elite sportsperson.
What is your stance on the sporting industry and their support of professional athlete mothers?
I believe the sporting industry is taking steps in the right direction. I do believe there are improvements to be made, mainly just support for mothers that have returned or are returning to sport professionally.
There is so much more to consider now as I prepare for the Olympics with travel and help with my baby that an individual would never have to worry about. The best part though, is there are so many mums out there doing it and if they keep paving the way and shining light on where and what can be better, there will be no limit to what a mother can do with her sporting career and family.
Alyce Wood – Kayaker and Bellamy’s Organic Olympic Ambassador
Can you share your journey into motherhood and how it impacted your athletic career?
Starting a family was incredibly important to my husband and I post the Tokyo Olympics, but I knew I wasn’t
ready to hang up the paddle. I was originally quite worried about the feasibility of this and whether it was
worth the sacrifice, but ultimately we decided that bringing Florence into a world surrounded by my
teammates who chase their dreams every day was the right decision.
Did you maintain some form of training throughout your pregnancy?
I trained with our National team in the Kayak until 33 weeks (when I couldn’t physically sit in the boat any longer) and then continued on dry land until the morning I went into labour. I was incredibly lucky to have such a supportive coaching team who worked right throughout my pregnancy to ensure Florence and I were always safe whilst training at an elite level. Florence was born 23rd June 2022. Co-incidentally, she was born on Olympic Day.
What was your journey back into elite-level form and what motivated your return?
When I finished at the Tokyo Olympics there was a feeling inside of me knowing that if I retired then, I would regret it. I knew I wasn’t done. Since then, the dream to go to my third Olympic Games with Florence cheering me on has been my main point of motivation.
Did you face any unique challenges as a mum returning to competition, and how did you overcome them?
Balancing the expectations of a being a new mum and an athlete has been challenging. On one hand, there are so many social pressures on new mums to feed, change, bathe, nurse and be incredibly present in every moment of their baby’s life.
Then on the other hand, I am on a strict timeline in the lead up to Paris, which requires me to be selfish at times and lean heavily on my support network. The guilt pulling me both ways has been real, but it’s also taught me how to prioritise my time and energy.
What strategies did you use to manage stress and stay resilient during this time?
My whole support team and I agree that being a mum has made me a better athlete and being an athlete has made me a better mum. We’ve created a routine that allows me to best spread my time, whilst also understanding that babies are experts in throwing the best made plans out the window.
How has being a mum changed the way you train and compete?
Kids teach you that you don’t need to sweat the small stuff. When they’re learning to walk they fall over a thousand times, but get up a thousand more, always with a smile on their face and so much determination. This is now how I approach my training. It’s unrealistic to think I am going to produce PB’s every day, so rather than get caught up in negative energy when I have a bad session, I address the issue and get up and go again.
What advice do you have for working mums juggling career and family priorities?
Everyone’s journey is so unique, so don’t try and model yourself off someone else’s priorities and expectations. My best advice is to give yourself permission to have a laundry full of dirty clothes, or a child wearing odd socks to daycare. Be flexible, laugh at yourself sometimes and enjoy the little moments.
