Mother vs. Athlete: The fight for pregnancy and postpartum support in sport

Kate Van Buskirk April 4, 2022

A new study out of the University of Alberta highlights the need for greater support for athletes who become pregnant. One of the participants of this study, two-time Olympian Hilary Stellingwerff, knows this first-hand. She was instrumental in creating policy change at Athletics Canada after she lost her sport funding following the birth of her first child.

Frustrating this is still an issue.I brought this to ⁦⁦@CRDSC_SDRCC⁩ in 2015-it was discriminatory to offer 1 injury/pregnancy card for female athletes. ⁦@AthleticsCanada changed policy, other sports need to step up! ⁦@SportCanada_EN⁩ https://t.co/4pfbh9Af1H

— Hilary Stellingwerff, OLY (@hstellingwerff) December 28, 2021

Now retired from elite running, Hilary coaches at the University of Victoria and continues to advocate for greater pregnancy and parental support for athletes. In this episode we speak with Hilary, as well as the two authors of this study, Dr. Margie Davenport and Dr. Tara-Leigh McHugh.

University of Alberta researchers Dr. Margie Davenport (L) and Dr. Tara-Leigh McHugh (R)

READ: Pushing for change: a qualitative study of the experiences of elite athletes during pregnancy