Vicki Hodges
@VickicHodges
Abbie Ward, Naomi Osaka and Sophia Popov’s empowering pregnancy messages open fresh discussion on maternity policies, while Charley Davison’s inspiring story shows anything is possible when it comes to motherhood and elite sport
Last Updated: 07/03/23 10:40am
The empowering messages from Abbie Ward and Naomi Osaka are changing the narrative around pregnancy in sport (PA/AP Photo/Getty)
If 2022 was the year women’s sport hit unprecedented heights, 2023 is shaping up to be the one where elite sportswomen, in full flight of their careers, are changing the notion of waiting until the final embers of their profession or retirement before starting a family.
Already, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, Rugby World Cup finalist Abbie Ward and 2020 AIG Women’s Open champion Sophia Popov have all announced they are expecting a baby later this year.
In going public with their news, they all shared a similar empowering message of expressing a desire to return to their own sporting theatre of dreams with baby in tow.
Ward, who narrowly missed out on World Cup glory for the Red Roses last November, posted on social media of her pregnancy in late January: “I can’t wait to have my mini-me pitch side next season and show that athletes can be mums too.”
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Osaka, merely a couple of weeks earlier, similarly wrote: “I know that I have so much to look forward to in the future, one thing I’m looking forward to is for my kid to watch my matches and tell someone, ‘that’s my mom'”, while Popov added in her announcement post: “Looking forward to my comeback as an #lpgamom.”
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For 29-year-old Ward, the 61 words she crafted on her social accounts were given careful consideration – with the overall message of her long-term commitment to rugby.
“It’s definitely been up until now that players (in rugby) would wait until the end of their careers before having children or cutting their careers short,” Ward told Sky Sports.
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Abbie Ward opens up on going publi …