A big thank you to our 3 coaches for sharing with us their pregnancy and coaching experience so far. Here at the FCN, we know how important this topic is to so many of you and we have had some great feedback about this topic being raised. There is still a long way to go and many stories to share – so if you want to share yours, please get in touch. We particularly want to hear from the coaches out there who are in a voluntary set up.
In this blog, we wanted to ask Erika, Rikki and Shelli about their experience of coaching during pregnancy and if it affected their coaching ability.
Did you feel supported by your federation / employer?
Erika
“Yes, absolutely. During my pregnancies, I was coaching at College of Charleston (Charleston, South Carolina) and Charleston Southern University (Charleston, SC). The whole staff, team and athletics department at both universities just shared in the excitement with me while I was expecting. And I can remember practical support like the lone male assistant coach carrying my heavy bag when our team travelled for away games. Another assistant coach took over the 11pm curfew checks for our student-athletes. Normally that was my job but during pregnancy I was very tired and asleep long before that time. Probably the biggest support I received was a decrease in the amount of recruiting travel I was expected to do. I was not assigned to as much recruiting travel and that was a huge relief. It also meant that the rest of the coaching staff had to pick up the slack. They did it willingly without hesitation.”
Rikki
“My colleagues and the athletes were all great. I held off telling the athletes on the first trip I travelled on as I knew they would try and stop me doing things which I was perfectly capable of doing.”
Shelli
“In the US, women are allowed to take leave outlined in the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). You can take up to 12 weeks in one calendar year, but you have to use accrued vacation or sick leave to continued to be paid. I will take all 12 weeks. I have the full support of my head coach and institution.”
Did you feel your coaching role was secure?
Erika
“Yes. I always felt that my job was secure.”
Rikki
“Yes”
Shelli
“Yes”
Did you need any unexpected time off due to illness as a result of your pregnancy? How did this affect you and your athletes?
Erika
“Fortunately, I did not miss anything on our team’s calendar except for 2 or 3 practices. During my first pregnancy, my team practiced daily at 6am and there were a few times when I woke up and just knew I physically couldn’t do it. I called my boss before the start of practice and let her know. Since it is natural for 1 coach on staff to occasionally miss practice for recruiting or speaking engagements, I don’t even think our student-athletes would have thought twice about it on the days I was absent.”
Rikki
“I was signed off for 6 weeks when I reached week 23 of my pregnancy. My son had been born prematurely at 27 weeks and they thought this pregnancy was going the same way. This obviously put extra pressure on the coaching staff as my maternity cover was not due to start for another 9 weeks. As soon as the hospital allowed I started doing clerical duties to try and help out the head coach and when the scare had passed I was allowed to return on a fit for work cert but I wasn’t allowed to do any lifting, pushing or pulling of arrows. I e-mailed all of the staff and athletes so they knew what they could & couldn’t do and for the most part they were brilliant, only occasionally was I left in an awkward position, having no one there to collect arrows or move targets.”
Shelli
“No”
How did your pregnancy affect your team / athletes?
Erika
“I think my pregnancies were an exciting, educational, bonding experience for my teams. While I was intentional about carrying out business as usual, I also found ways to include my student-athletes in the journey. Babycenter.com is a widely used resource for women who are expecting, and the site sends you a weekly email updating you on your baby’s growth process inside the womb. The baby’s size is always compared to a type of fruit, and there are fun facts about its development. I posted a copy of this in my office each week and my players would always want to talk about it when they dropped by. I did a cupcake gender reveal with one of my teams and I also let them vote on our middle name choices (that was surprisingly helpful in our ultimate decision!) My athletes always got some laughs about the funny aspects of pregnancy and they enjoyed imitating me by putting the basketball under their shirt. For each of my daughters, my teams hosted the most thoughtful baby showers that brought me to tears. I think pregnancy just really humanized me to my players, and since many of them aspire to be mothers one day, it was great for them to see the life of a working mom up close.”
Rikki
“I don’t think it did. “
Shelli
“With both pregnancies I have been able to coach normally. The second pregnancy will cause me to be absent from one, possibly, two of the most important meets of the season.”
How has pregnancy affected you as a coach?
Erika
“I was able to carry out all of my coaching tasks aside from standing up for the duration of practice.”
Rikki
“At 14 weeks I started to get lower back pain caused by all the ligaments in my pelvis going lax. This caused me a lot of pain walking & lifting but I just got on with things as best I could.”
Shelli
“This pregnancy has been much tougher than my first. I am very fatigued and emotional. It has not negatively reflected on my coaching or role as an associate head coach. I do my best to not let my emotions dictate my daily routines while in the office. Thankfully I have a very supportive partner that is willing to listen on the bad days!”
Did you ever consider leaving your coaching role due to a change of life priorities?
Erika
“No.”
Rikki
“No.”
Shelli
“Yes. There have been a few occasions when I thought I could be a stay at home mom. Now that my 2 year old is starting to understand and express her sadness when I am out of town for a few days. It can be difficult to leave! I know it will get harder when both girls grow up and have activities of their own I would like to be there for. Yes, for the reasons mentioned in #7. But, I also realize I can be a role model for our girls. When it is family time, I make time for family. My daughter has met the team and is very known to the women I work with. I want my girls to see you can be a successful mom and coach. It is VERY HARD work and takes an amazing partner, but it can be done.”
How did you go about finding a replacement whilst you were on maternity leave?
Rikki
“I helped with suggesting replacements but I found the whole situation very awkward. I worried that my replacement would be better than me & that they wouldn’t want me back.”
Shelli
“I did not need a replacement. My staff needed(s) to fill in while I am away.”
Was your partner understanding in your aim of remaining coaching?
Erika
“100%!”
Rikki
“Very!”
Shelli
“None of this would be possible without the support of my partner. I think there are many reasons why working moms leave their professions/coaching roles, and one is the support of a partner. When I am asked for advice from young coaches, male and female, about coaching, I tell them that if they are going to have a successful relationship with a partner, that partner must FULLY understand the role of a coach.”
