The Physical Challenges of Returning to Sport Postpartum

By: Greta Stuckey

UFC Fighter Alexis Davis and Her Newborn Son.

The moment of childbirth is often viewed as the hardest and most painful experience in a woman's life. For professional athletes, the comeback to their sport while caring for a newborn is physically challenging.

After having a baby, people's lives are forever changed. For mothers, their body adapted over the nine-month period of carrying a baby which makes returning to their sport all the more difficult.

“Nobody really explained to me how hard it was going to be,” United States Women's Soccer player Amy Rodriguez said to SB Nation. “It wasn’t like I bounced back immediately. You’re starting from ground zero. You’ve had so many months off, your body is changing such an incredible amount.”

During the weeks and months after giving birth, a mother’s body continues to change as their hormones shift in order to breastfeed their baby. After having a baby, it is common for mothers to feel extra hungry or thirsty, especially when breastfeeding. According to Verywell Family, mothers also become more susceptible to colds and illnesses because of the nourishment and energy their body provided their babies during pregnancy.

“There are days I felt like a super mom, and then there were days I would be in tears wondering how on Earth am I trying to do this,” Team USA swimmer Dana Vollmer said to SB Nation.

The physical challenges involved after giving birth differ among women, but many women suffer from postpartum chills, uterine contractions, vaginal bleeding, nipple sensitivity and fatigue. In some cases, women also experience uterine prolapse which occurs when pelvic floor muscles stretch and weaken and no longer provide enough support for the uterus. As a result, the uterus slips down into or protrudes out of the vagina.

“I started off slow,” UFC Fighter Alexis Davis said to SB Nation. “It took me a while to get back to jiu-jitsu, after all the organs shifted around, it wasn’t as comfortable for me. But it was about two months or so later that I got into it.”

One of the most challenging aspects of having a baby is the lifestyle change that comes with it. With a baby in the house, parents struggle from sleep deprivation and as an athlete, sleep is a key aspect of success.

“When Arlen was born, I learned quickly that I don’t function well without sleep,” Vollmer said to SB Nation. “[My husband] would bring Arlen in, I’d nurse him, he’d take him back, try to get him to sleep or try to get him away from me so I can get a four-hour chunk of sleep. I never thought I’d claim four hours is a lot, but it was a lot.”

Parents of newborns often don’t get enough sleep because of an infant's unpredictable sleep pattern. Unfortunately, it is suggested that professional and elite athletes get around eight to ten hours of sleep a night. For athletes, getting enough sleep is essential to overall health and lacking sleep can lead to irritability, weakens the immune system, and lessens the ability for people to focus and remember things.

“I hope that we’re making it seem tangible, but I don’t want to give people the false sense of it’s awesome, and it’s all positive,” Rodriguez said to SB Nation. “Because this is actually very, very hard. I’ve been so fortunate that I’ve gotten to do both.”

Professional athletes continually work to stay healthy and keep their bodies in the best physical shape possible. Mothers have to adjust to a new lifestyle postpartum, and for professional athletes, the new lifestyle is even more drastic. While being a mother is not easy, it has become more common in the last decade for professional athletes to have babies and continue working toward their athletic goals.