UK Sport has updated its guide for pregnant and postnatal athletes to provide more support and resources for athletes during this important time in their lives. The new guide includes information on labor and delivery, infant sleep patterns, diet and breastfeeding, and access to the Athlete Pregnancy Network, a group for new mothers of athletes.
Sally Munday, Chief Executive of UK Sport, emphasized the importance of athlete well-being and health, noting that “pregnancy is an important time in any woman’s life” and that the new guide is designed to help elite female athletes and their families “benefit from the useful and relevant information it contains.”
The guide has been developed in consultation with athletes and the sporting community and draws on Loughborough University’s research into athletes’ experiences of pregnancy. The guide aims to support athletes during and after pregnancy to help them balance training and family life.
England and GB national team field hockey player Jo Pinner, who gave birth to her first child in April this year and resumed training in September, has praised the guide. She said the guide was “absolutely vital” and “gives athletes confidence and trust that they are there and have a lot to worry about”.
Pinner’s views were echoed by Britain’s most successful female Olympian, Dame Laura Kenny, who spoke in an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live’s breakfast show about the challenges female athletes can face when trying to conceive due to their demanding lifestyles. Kenny has won a total of five gold medals and one silver in three Olympics and the mother of two is working towards her fourth in Paris.
UK Sport’s latest guide to providing more support for pregnant and postnatal athletes is a welcome step. By providing resources and information, UK Sport is helping athletes through this important time in their lives and continue to pursue their sporting ambitions.
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