Exploring pregnancy and postpartum experiences among geographically diverse elite athletes: A qualitative study

Female athletes who experience childbirth during their athletic careers can expect to return to elite sports postpartum and perform at a comparable or improved level. However, mothering athletes often encounter significant barriers when re-entering elite sports. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of a geographically diverse group of mothering athletes who returned to elite sports after childbirth.

Qualitative phenomenological research design using semi-structured interviews.

In-depth one-on-one interviews were conducted with nineteen mothering elite running athletes hailing from fourteen different countries. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Findings were generated into five main themes: (1) Deciding to become a mother, (2) revealing pregnancy to stakeholders, (3) experience of pregnancy, (4) combining motherhood and elite running, and (5) improvement strategies to support athlete mothers. The findings revealed that participants experienced stress regarding their pregnancy announcements due to concerns about potential repercussions on their careers. These concerns included the impact on sponsorship deals, relationships with governing bodies, and interactions with their coaches. Participants felt their elite coaches and health practitioners had insufficient education to support them throughout their pregnancies and postpartum return to elite running. Finally, athletes express a sense of diminished pressure and increased motivation in races upon resuming their elite careers, attributing their improved athletic performance postpartum to their shift in focus from themselves to their child.

This study illuminates challenges and offers valuable insights to coaches, sponsors, health practitioners, exercise professionals, researchers, race organizers, and governing athletic bodies in better supporting mothering athletes.