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

IF 3 2区医学 Q1 SPORT SCIENCES

Journal of science and medicine in sport Pub Date : 2025-02-01 DOI:10.1016/j.jsams.2024.10.001

Brooke McGregor, Richard McGrath, Janette Young, Carmel Nottle

{"title":"Exploring pregnancy and postpartum experiences among geographically diverse elite athletes: A qualitative study","authors":"Brooke McGregor, Richard McGrath, Janette Young, Carmel Nottle","doi":"10.1016/j.jsams.2024.10.001","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>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.</div></div><div><h3>Design</h3><div>Qualitative phenomenological research design using semi-structured interviews.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>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.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>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.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>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.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16992,"journal":{"name":"Journal of science and medicine in sport","volume":"28 2","pages":"Pages 101-109"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of science and medicine in sport","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1440244024005267","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"SPORT SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives

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.

Design

Qualitative phenomenological research design using semi-structured interviews.

Methods

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.

Results

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.

Conclusions

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.

查看原文本刊更多论文

探索不同地域精英运动员的怀孕和产后经历：定性研究。

目标：在运动生涯中经历分娩的女运动员可望在产后重返精英体育运动，并取得相当或更好的成绩。然而，已为人母的运动员在重返精英体育时往往会遇到重大障碍。本研究旨在探讨不同地域的母亲运动员在产后重返精英体育运动的经历：设计：采用半结构化访谈的定性现象学研究设计：对来自 14 个不同国家的 19 名已为人母的精英跑步运动员进行了一对一的深入访谈。对访谈进行录音、逐字记录，并采用主题分析法进行分析：研究结果分为五大主题：(1) 决定成为母亲；(2) 向利益相关者透露怀孕情况；(3) 怀孕经历；(4) 将母亲身份与精英长跑结合起来；(5) 支持运动员母亲的改进策略。研究结果表明，由于担心怀孕可能会对其职业生涯造成影响，参与者在宣布怀孕时经历了压力。这些担忧包括对赞助商交易的影响、与管理机构的关系以及与教练的互动。参加者认为，他们的精英教练和保健医生没有受过足够的教育，无法在他们怀孕和产后重返精英赛跑的整个过程中为他们提供支持。最后，运动员表示在恢复精英生涯后，压力减轻了，比赛动力增强了，并将产后运动成绩的提高归功于她们将注意力从自身转移到了孩子身上：这项研究为教练、赞助商、健康从业者、运动专业人士、研究人员、赛事组织者和体育管理机构更好地支持母亲运动员的工作揭示了挑战，并提供了有价值的见解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Journal of science and medicine in sport 医学-运动科学

CiteScore

7.40

自引率

10.00%

发文量

198

审稿时长

48 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport is the official journal of Sports Medicine Australia (SMA) and is an an international refereed research publication covering all aspects of sport science and medicine. The Journal considers for publication Original research and Review papers in the sub-disciplines relating generally to the broad sports medicine and sports science fields: sports medicine, sports injury (including injury epidemiology and injury prevention), physiotherapy, podiatry, physical activity and health, sports science, biomechanics, exercise physiology, motor control and learning, sport and exercise psychology, sports nutrition, public health (as relevant to sport and exercise), and rehabilitation and injury management. Manuscripts with an interdisciplinary perspective with specific applications to sport and exercise and its interaction with health will also be considered.