Trusted Information for Healthy Pregnancies
athletes
This Week’s Celebrity Baby Bumps
Feb 17th
Kerri Walsh shows up for the premiere of Heidi Klum's maternity clothing line, Rebecca Gayheart brings out the inner leopard, Amy Adams looks a bit uncomfortable in platforms but trades them in for some flats and a cute white top, Amanda Peet wears a big black and white bow to add contrast to her all black outfit and then later wears a sweet white, floral print frock with some peep-toe shoes.
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Canadian Curler Kristie Moore is 3rd Pregnant Olympian in History
Feb 16th
As with all curling teams, Team Canada features five members. Well, six, if you really want to get technical with it.
Alternate Kristie Moore, 30, is 5 1/2 months pregnant, making her just the third athlete known to be with child during Olympic competition. Ninety years ago, Swedish figure skater Magda Julin won a gold medal at the Antwerp Games while in her first trimester and Germany's Diana Sartor took fourth in the skeleton in 2006.
Though she is showing, Moore says that her pregnancy has not affected her ability to deliver rocks ... yet. "[In] the eighth month or so, that might be an issue," she said.
Moore found out about her pregnancy weeks before team officials invited her to join Team Canada as an alternate. When she divulged her secret, the team was more than supportive. Said team leader Cheryl Bernard, "she is young and fit. There's no reason we'll have any problems, and she'll be out there."
Barring unforeseen problems with the other four members of the team, it's unlikely Moore will see any Olympic action. During competition her role as an alternate is much like a backup quarterback in football: She'll be called on if needed. Moore has said that although she'd like to get out on the ice, doing so would mean having to play at the expense of someone else's injury.
Team Canada is the gold-medal favorite in the women's curling event, which begins Tuesday and runs through Friday of next week. Even if Moore doesn't play, she will receive any medal Canada wins.
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Interview with Kristi Yamaguchi on Motherhood
Feb 11th
Olympic ice skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi, 38, is living life to the fullest these days! From competing on Dancing with the Stars to signing on to be a special correspondent for Today during the 2010 Winter Olympics, this busy wife and mother of two is finding balance and having a blast.
Kristi recently opened up to Working Mother about her passion of figure skating and life with daughters, Keara Kiyomi, 6, and Emma Yoshiko, 4, and husband, former Olympic/retired pro-hockey player, Bret Hedican, 39.
On how her children have changed her life: "I want to be there for my kids. My priorities have changed drastically, and I’m lucky I was ready for that. I’d done everything I ever wanted to do in skating. I’d toured with Stars on Ice for ten years. I was ready to hang up the skates, unpack my suitcase and not pack it for a very long time.”
On her daughters' distinctive personalities: “After the first one is born, you think the second one will be the same—but she’s not. Keara is very social, outgoing and adaptable. I see a lot of myself in Emma. She’s Mommy’s girl, like I was. She’s a little shy in social situations until she gets comfortable. Keara is more artistic. She loves imaginary play. Emma has really good athletic ability. She’s physically tough. It will be interesting to see what they choose to do.”
On balancing her career and her family life: “In my twenties I never thought I’d still be working this hard in my thirties. I do feel lucky that I did a lot of my skating, which would have been hard on me as a mom, early on—all that touring and living on the road. I’m happy I’m still busy—off the ice. I still juggle. Sometimes I think I overextend myself because I’m traveling too much and am away from the kids. It’s a fine line to find that balance. These days I make business decisions based on whether something is worth my time away from my kids.”
On what inspired her to skate: “I was born with clubfeet, and I had plaster casts on my legs from when I was a couple of months old until age 1. When the casts came off, I wore corrective shoes connected by a brace to turn my feet until I was about 2. The braces hurt my legs a lot, and I remember trying to walk with a bar in between my feet—I had to shuffle. I was lucky they corrected it when I was so young. Skating wasn’t assigned to me, but when I wanted to skate, the doctors said it would help. I expressed an interest when I was about 4 or 5. I’d seen the Ice Follies, the Ice Capades. I remember seeing Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill and wanting to capture the magic of those shows.”
On her biggest surprise since becoming a mother: “I’ve realized how precious life is. When I was younger, I was more adventurous. I felt invincible. I was game for everything. As a mom, I don’t want to get injured because then I can’t take care of my kids. Even getting on an airplane, I’m more conscious of…Like they say, once you have a child, your heart is forever outside your body. I totally understand that now.”
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Birth month determines who becomes a sports star
Feb 3rd
Do you have sports star dreams for your unborn child? Well, then plan the baby in such a way that he or she is born in the month of January, claims a researcher.
By studying the seasonal patterns of population health, senior research fellow Dr. Adrian Barnett from Queensland University of Technology's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation concluded that the month you were born in could influence your future health, fitness and sports ability.
The results of the study are published in the Springer book Analyzing Seasonal Health Data, by Barnett, co-authored by researcher Professor Annette Dobson from the University of Queensland.
To reach the conclusion, Barnett analyzed birthdays of professional Australian Football League (AFL) players and found a disproportionate number had their birthdays in the early months of the year, while many fewer were born in the later months, especially December.
The Australian school year begins in January. "Children who are taller have an obvious advantage when playing the football code of AFL," Dr. Barnett said. "If you were born in January, you have almost 12 months' growth ahead of your classmates born late in the year, so whether you were born on December 31stor January 1st could have a huge effect on your life."
Dr. Barnett found there were 33 percent more professional AFL players than expected with birthdays in January and 25 percent fewer in December. He said the results mirrored other international studies which found a link between being born near the start of school year and the chances of becoming a professional player in the sports of ice hockey, football, volleyball and basketball.
"Research in the UK shows those born at the start of the school year also do better academically and have more confidence," he said. "And with physical activity being so important, it could also mean smaller children get disheartened and play less sport. If smaller children are missing out on sporting activity then this has potentially serious consequences for their health in adulthood."
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Gymnast Shannon Miller Gives Advice to Moms
Jan 13th
Shannon Miller is the most decorated gymnast, male or female, in U.S. history with 7 Olympic and 9 World Championship medals. Now mom to 2 1/2-month-old son Rocco, this 32-year-old former Olympian is trading in her passion for the balance beam to help new moms balance their lives with a series of fitness DVDs and a prenatal cookbook.
How is motherhood so far?
"Our son was born on October 28th at 7 lbs, 11 oz. It truly is a miracle how a baby changes your life. Things that seemed so important before take a back seat to Rocco’s smile.
Everyone tells you to nap when the baby naps……yeah right! You’re too busy doing a million other chores, working or just staring at him. It’s so important to take time for yourself or you’ll go crazy."
Was choosing a baby name easy for you two? Did you know you were having a boy?
"We call him Rocco to avoid confusion and because it’s so darn cute! He is actually named “John” after his father and his paternal great grandfather and “Rocco” after his other great grandfather. He’s a 5th generation Rocco!
Choosing a name was pretty difficult. With a name like Falconetti you’ve got to have something that rolls well. We narrowed it down to three names the night before we had him. We took one look at him after he was born and knew he was a Rocco."
Looking back, do you feel the pressures of the Olympics is too much for a young person? What was it like for you?
"Truly, I think it’s up to the individual. Children don’t always get enough credit for knowing what they want and going after it. Some children can absolutely handle it and others crumble under the pressure. It certainly helps to have a strong support system around you including parents, coaches, teachers and friends. And, above all, you have to love what you are doing. You cannot fake passion.
Did you workout during your pregnancy? Did you focus on working out, or were you happy to just 'let it all go' for once? I can imagine how hard it would be to keep up with your past gymnast body!
"I did workout while I was pregnant. In fact, I was so clueless as to what I should or shouldn’t do during pregnancy that I did a ton of research. I even ended up taping a “fit pregnancy” DVD to help other women maintain a fit pregnancy. I feel better, sleep better and have more energy when I work out. And it makes it so much easier for your body to bounce back after delivery. In addition, it actually helped with my morning sickness (24/7 for 6 months)."
How are you feeling postpartum? Have the 'baby blues' reared their ugly heads?
"By the end of week three I realized I absolutely had to leave the house. I needed some fresh air and sunlight just to maintain my sanity. I started taking daily walks with Rocco in his stroller and it was perfect! John and I also try to take date nights from time to time."
What did all your friends and family 'forget' to tell you about pregnancy and childbirth? Is there anything that surprised you during your experiences?
"No one can truly prepare you for the first day you arrive home with your new baby. The nurses are gone and you realize that you are now in charge. Talk about terrifying!
I got a lot of advice and stories. Many were horror stories about the delivery process. The one thing that surprised me the most was that the delivery ended up being the easiest part. I was induced due to gestational diabetes. It was such a calm and rather painless experience."
Are you breastfeeding? If so, how is that going?
"Yes, I knew I wanted to breastfeed if at all possible. So far, so good. Rocco is a great eater! My biggest issue is trying to drink enough water to help keep my milk up. I’ve also been trying to decrease dairy and nuts in case it causes him issues. Those are huge staples in my diet so that’s difficult."
If you could make one confession - either about your years as a world-class gymnast or as a new mom (or both!) - what would it be?
"Wow, I guess what most people don’t realize is that I am nowhere near as confident or self assured as I may seem. I was never the popular girl growing up. I didn’t know how to wear makeup or fix my hair. I was intimidated by everything, except being on the balance beam. Sometimes, you have to almost trick yourself into being self confident. I learned to fake confidence once I walked onto the floor mat in a competition and realized later that I actually felt more confident.
Being a new mom, everything is terrifying. You never feel like you have things figured out. So when I get overwhelmed I “fake” being self assured. When I’m calm my son is calm."
If you are working on any other project or with any charities, please feel free to discuss.
"I have been working on so many projects I am really excited about. I filmed two DVDs Shannon Miller’s Ultimate Fit Pregnancy and Shannon Miller’s Body After Baby.
I also wrote a prenatal cookbook with my friend, and chef, Jessica Bright.
I have two other fitness books coming out in the spring. One is a yoga book. The other is an abdominal/core book. I call these “To Go” books since they are small enough to fit in your purse or gym bag. You can take them with you for great exercises to get you trim and toned. It’s been busy but it was a great way to spend this year. I have found a passion for health and wellness for women and was able to dive in and finish some of these projects I’ve been working on for years.
In addition, we’ll be holding the 2nd Annual Shannon Miller Kids Marathon on May 1st in Jacksonville, Florida. The event raises awareness for childhood obesity, the focus of my foundation."
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Yao Ming’s wife is pregnant!
Jan 5th
The wife of NBA center Yao Ming is expecting their first child, sending netizens into a frenzy of hope for a new generation to lead China's basketball team in the future.
"The news that Ye Li is pregnant is true. Yao Ming and his wife would like to thank all those who are showing concern," Yao's China-based spokesman Zhang Chi said in a statement to leading portal Sina.com on Tuesday.
"Out of concern for Ye Li's state of mind and the need for a relaxed environment, it is not convenient to offer any further information concerning the baby," the spokesman said.
According to the Beijing News, the 29-year-old Houston Rocket -- out for the season as he recovers from a foot injury -- is expected to become a father in July. No decision has been made on where the baby will be born.
Both Yao and his wife -- once a centre on China's women's national basketball team -- are the offspring of professional athletes. They reportedly married at the request of sports officials in their hometown of Shanghai.
Ever since the 2.29-metre (seven-foot-six-inch) Yao married his 1.90-metre wife in 2007, speculation has run rampant as to when their first baby would be born, Sina.com noted.
As both Yao and his wife were born in the 1980s and are only children, the couple will be allowed to give birth to two children under China's recently relaxed "one-child" family planning policy, the report said.
"We hope that Yao Ming and Ye Li will go further and raise more pillars of the next generation of Chinese basketball," it said.
Yao and his wife returned to China late last year to do promotional work for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and to launch the season of the Shanghai Sharks, a professional Chinese basketball club that Yao recently purchased.
Congratulations to the extraordinary couple!
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Kerri Walsh Is Pregnant Again!
Dec 15th
Seven months after giving birth to her first child, two-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh is pregnant again. She says she will skip the 2010 season and longtime partner Misty May-Treanor will play with a new teammate for the first time since 2001.
Kerri Walsh amazed mothers everywhere in August when she stepped back into a bikini and competed on the AVP Tour just more than two months after giving birth to her first child. She'll impress many more if she can do it again.
She'll have a chance again this summer because she's almost four months pregnant with her second child, Walsh told UniversalSports.com on Friday.
"I'm pregnant again so I'm taking the year off and Misty is going to be playing with a different partner," the 31-year-old said, adding, "My due date is May 30, so end of May I'll be taking care of my family and starting to creep back into shape and I'll be ready for the 2011 season. My hope and my plan is for Misty and I to get back together and be better than ever."
"The goal is to play together and win in 2012, to win an Olympic gold medal," Walsh said.
Though Walsh, who is married to fellow AVP star Casey Jennings, says she's aiming to be back for the 2011 season, few would be surprised to see her sooner. She gave birth to a son, Joseph Michael, on May 22 and was back on the court in early August. Walsh says she's itching to play again right now.
"Part of the challenge of coming back this year was to make sure that I could do it and I did physically. And once I can wrap my head around it mentally then I know I'll be a better player than ever before," Walsh said.
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