Serena Williams' victory at the Australian Open in 2017 prompted the following (male) Tweet: Serena Williams won a Grand Slam while (eight weeks) pregnant so every man should probably shut up about everything forever.
Quite.
Battling morning sickness, fatigue, hormone surges, swollen breasts, and a cardiovascular system struggling to divert blood supply to a second hu nan is an endurance event by itself. To endure all this while beating the best in the world is phenomenal. And Serena is not the only phenomenal woman.
Water polo Olympian Lea Yanitsas, for instance, won the Women's Australian National Water Polo League while 15 weeks pregnant.
“I only told my (Killer Whales] team afterward that we'd been playing with an extra person - albeit a not very helpful one," she laughs. Everyone was shocked, but at least it explained why there were times Lea had to leave the pool - she was so sick, she couldn't even eat. “I was exhausted,” she admits. “I was working three days a week as well.”
However, if Lea thought that was tough, it was nothing compared to life after she gave birth to Dino in October 2018.
Lea had used her professional expertise as a women's health physio to stay fit throughout her pregnancy. She was determined to compete in the World Championships in 2019 and the Tokyo Olympics, then scheduled for 2020, so she got back into training as soon as possible, rising at 4 am and driving to the pool with double breast pumps attached to express milk.
“I was lucky I didn't get pulled over and charged with indecent exposure!" she laughs.
Bu hikaye The Australian Women's Weekly dergisinin May 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Australian Women's Weekly dergisinin May 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Maggie's kitchen
Maggie Beer's delicious veg patties - perfect for lunch, dinner or a snack - plus a simple nostalgic pudding with fresh passionfruit.
Reclaim your brain
Attention span short? Thoughts foggy? Memory full of gaps? Brigid Moss investigates the latest ways to sharpen your thinking.
The girls from Oz
Melbourne music teacher Judith Curphey challenged the patriarchy when she started Australia's first all-girls choir. Forty years later that bold vision has 6500 members, life-changing programs and a new branch of the sisterhood in Singapore.
One kid can change the world
In 2018, 10-year-old Jack Berne started A Fiver for a Farmer to raise funds for drought relief. He and mum Prue share what happened next.
AFTER THE WAVE
Twenty years ago, the Boxing Day tsunami tore across the Indian Ocean, shredding towns, villages and holiday resorts, and killing hundreds of thousands of people from Indonesia to Africa. Three Australians share their memories of terror, loss and survival with The Weekly.
PATRICIA KARVELAS How childhood tragedy shaped me
Patricia Karvelas hustled hard to chase her dreams, but it wasn't easy. In a deeply personal interview, the ABC host talks about family loss, finding love, battles fought and motherhood.
Ripe for the picking
Buy a kilo or two of fresh Australian apricots because they're at their peak sweetness now and take inspiration from our lush recipe ideas that showcase this divine stone fruit.
Your stars for 2025
The Weekly’s astrologer, Lilith Rocha, reveals what’s in store for your astrological sign in 2025. For your monthly horoscope, turn to page 192.
MEL SCHILLING Cancer made me look at myself differently'
One year on from going public with her bowel cancer diagnosis, Mel Schilling reveals where she's at with her health journey and how it's changed her irrevocably.
Nothing like this Dame Judi
A few weeks before her 90th birthday, the acting legend jumped on a phone call with The Weekly to talk about her extraordinary life – and what’s still to come.
