My children travel with me, it’s the model that works
I don’t know if I would be competing if I didn’t have my kids with me on the road. It’s a life experience for them too
There have always been mothers in sport, we just haven’t celebrated them the way we do now. It is different from those earlier days; now we have different types of media – we have social media and more women are willing to talk about it, which makes it easier to reach a wider audience. It is the adage that if you can’t see it, you can’t be it.
When I fell pregnant with my first child, Louisa, after London 2012, I was 35 years old and it could have been the end of my career. I had achieved everything I had wanted in sport and knew I would not have been unhappy if I was not able to return.
I feel quite fortunate that I didn’t feel any pressure to perform, because everything that happened prior to Louisa arriving was more than I could have dreamed of. Now it feels like I am on bonus time, which takes huge pressure off. It means that my performances can be fitted around the needs of the children.
The people who were part of the para-cycling programme, Christopher Furber, who now heads up the very successful para-swimming programme, and Gareth Sheppard, were very supportive and, alongside our performance director at the time, Dave Brailsford, gave me as much time as I needed.
I was the one who needed holding back in some ways. I was told to take my time. It was only when my second child, Charlie, was born in 2017, that I realised how not rushing my return benefited me in the long run.
I am sure improvements in sport science would help returning mothers, but each individual should be looked at on a case-bycase basis. Not everyone has the same birth; not everyone has the same muscle response to that birth. Some people will have diastasis recti, which is a separation of the tummy muscles, and some people might have damaged core muscles from their pelvic floor right through to their core because of the size of the baby. Then there is the different way the growth of the bump has affected the hips or back. There are also differences in the individual’s sport. It is easy to continue cycling and swimming during pregnancy, but impact sports such as football and rugby become more of a problem.
It is becoming more common for sports scientists and sports doctors to work more closely with athletes to assist with their return, knowing how important it is to maximise each individual’s chances of coming back successfully.
After I had Charlie, our British cycling physio, Katie, came to my house to assess the damage – as it were – to see how my core muscles had been affected. Having that level of support was reassuring, especially as I’d had two C-sections, so was recovering from surgery too. It was good to know that had there been any future problems they would help me find the right exercises that would be tailored for my needs. Although post-partum specialisms are not usually linked to sports science, I found practitioners were keen to expand their knowledge or consult others.
One of the biggest challenges with sport is the number of days you are on the road, the number of times you are away – it is not really very conducive to a child’s need for their parents. For me it was really important I was able to take the kids with me when I returned to cycling. Louisa was breastfeeding until she was about three-and-ahalf years old, and Charlie is now two and showing no signs of stopping. I was also improving and was racing faster in Rio than I had done in London, so being able to take that opportunity to win further medals, and to return on that investment from UK Sport funding, was really important. From my own well-being as well, if I couldn’t have done that, I don’t think I would have still been competing, which obviously means there would be fewer medals in the pot.
The children absolutely love being on the road. From Louisa’s perspective we get to visit different countries, learn different languages. It is a huge life experience for her and she is not afraid to try and speak a new language. She will always have a go at ordering her food, saying thank you, or asking for the bill – she never gives up. She also knows the importance of resilience in sport and she really enjoys watching other athletes. Both have learnt the travel process of check-in, passport, boarding, navigating hotels from being able to walk. And Charlie will pack a bag and get his passport if he thinks he has been home too long!
When I had children, the main focus of my life became providing them with opportunities and a chance to enjoy their childhood and learn things the way I did. My parents absolutely loved taking us to different places and travelling. They were always helping and doing other things for other people; they were amazing role models and both Barney and I wanted to make sure that we were the ultimate role models for Louisa and now Charlie as well.
When it comes to a race that has not gone well, they are still really pleased to see me at the end. That’s the most important thing. There is no dwelling, no beating myself up. It’s a very pragmatic: what happened, what went well, what didn’t go well. If it didn’t go well: what happened and how do we change it for next time. Life is short, it is important you work hard, enjoy it and don’t dwell on the negatives too much.