Incredible facts
Since the 1950s, according to cultural norms (supported by some medical studies), a pregnant woman has been equated with people with disabilities, her condition has been considered fragile, undermined by fatigue, and it was argued that she should not do work except “easy around the house”.
However, with the development of science and society, it has become clear that a woman during pregnancy is able not only to do normal household chores, but also to participate in various activities that are not non-pregnant girls always dare to participate. They often don't have the courage!
In this article, we will tell you about 10 amazing achievements of fearless and determined women during pregnancy.
Sports during pregnancy
Marathon
Running a full marathon during pregnancy means withstanding double physical activity, and this ability is not available to everyone. Professional athletes often train while pregnant, but running a marathon at week 39 is a feat. Thus, the 2011 Chicago marathon was special for Amber Miller.
Miller is an avid marathon runner. She had previously participated in various sporting events early in pregnancy, but this time, at week 39 – with the doctor's permission, of course, and only at a calm pace – she decided to check how far it can go.
As Miller herself later said: “I felt just great… that's why I ran on!” Her journey from start to finish took 3 hours longer than her usual marathon. Almost immediately after the finish, Amber felt the fights.
A few hours later, Miller gave birth to a healthy baby girl, June. Amber later revealed that it was much easier to run the marathon than to give life to this miracle, but despite her fatigue, she was happier than ever.
National Golf Championship
Catriona Matthew was five months pregnant when she was lucky enough to win the Brazilian Golf Cup. She successfully completed the 36-hole exhibition tournament with a grand prize of $500,000. After the competition, Matthew gave an interview in which she said that pregnancy did not affect her endurance and fatigue in any way.
“When the game is going well, I don't feel tired at all,” Catriona says. “Maybe I'll feel it tomorrow.” The following month, she competed in another important championship, and only then took a break from sports until her daughter Sophie was born.
While pregnant, Matthew took a short break, but quickly returned to great shape thanks to a workout at the gym and was back on the golf course five weeks after giving birth. Just 11 weeks after Sophie was born, Catriona won the British Championship. Many believed that pregnancy had a positive effect on the athlete's physical condition, but she herself claimed that the break she took in the last months of pregnancy allowed her to rest and return to sports with renewed vigor.
Being pregnant
The English Channel
It's no secret that swimming across the English Channel is difficult and exhausting even for a professional athlete. Even if the tides are good for you, their help is negligible due to the distance of 33 km and the maximum water temperature of 16 degrees Celsius. It is also worth mentioning the numerous jellyfish, seaweed, tankers and boats that circulate through the canal every day.
The best professional swimmers (under favorable conditions) need at least 7 hours to swim across the canal, although there have been cases when the time reached 26 o'clock. As of 2018, the Canal Crossing Association has recorded only 1,500 successful solo crossings of the English Channel since 1875.
One successful attempt was to cross the canal by American Regan Scheiber in 2001, when she sailed from England to France. It took 9 hours and 30 minutes, and Regan won the award for the fastest crossing of the English Channel by a woman. She started swimming at age 9 and by 2001 she was already a professional swimmer.
The fact that she was 11 weeks pregnant added to her epic achievement. She later reported that this did not significantly affect her physical condition, except that it added to a little fatigue at the end. After completing her unusual journey, Scheiber, a pastry chef, returned home and baked her mother a cake with which she informed her that she was pregnant. The caption on the cake read: “Mom, congratulations — your grandson just swam across the English Channel!”
Read also: Pregnancy is a mystical state filled with superstitions
Wonder Woman
Gal Gadot combines incredible beauty and physical strength that is unusual for such a fragile woman. After becoming Miss Israel and trying her hand at modeling, Gal briefly left her glamorous life to serve under contract for two years in the Israeli Army. She did it so well that she even became a combat leader.
This course of events is symbolically suitable for a girl who will later play Wonder Woman in three films, one of which will be a real hit and will collect several hundred on the very first weekend at the box office thousands of dollars.
Wonder Woman provides a great opportunity for Gal to showcase skills acquired in the military. She plays a strong-willed Amazon princess who fights well, jumps high and completes all action scenes perfectly with confidence in the eyes.
There is one little secret that made shooting movies with Gal even more impressive: she was pregnant during the filming of Justice League and Wonder Woman. On the set of the first film, she could still hide her early pregnancy with clothes, sunglasses, and breaks between scenes.
However, the creators of Wonder Woman had to use various special effects and computer graphics to hide this fact, since Gadot's pregnancy was already visible in the fifth month. In an interview, Gal admitted: “Pregnancy did not affect the filming process at all, I still acted in action scenes and felt great. Now, some time later, I'm happy to know that my daughter Maya is in some way in the movie. It's an amazing feeling.”
Woman during pregnancy
Ironman Triathlon
The Ironman (Iron Man) triathlon includes a 3.9 km swim, a 180-kilometer bike race and a 42 km race. All this must be completed on the same day. Thus, the Ironman triathlon becomes a real challenge even for a professional athlete.
Despite this, Meredith Kessler was well prepared for New Zealand's famous 2017 triathlon. She has previously participated in the same triathlon an incredible 59 times and spent at least 30 hours a week training.
Kessler hoped to win the triathlon for the sixth time, but faced a condition that was unusual for her. She later described it as “an absolute lack of endurance that could not be overcome.” She also struggled with nausea, which became unbearable by 9 o'clock since the start of the triathlon. Kessler finished the triathlon in third place and was over the moon when she found out the reason for her poor health.
She found out she was four weeks pregnant during the race. She later shared this good news on her blog and continued to train. On November 11, 2017, Kessler became a happy mother to a healthy baby.
Eiger North Wall
Rock climber Alison Hargreaves is famous for several of her achievements at once — climbing 6 peaks in the Alps in one season, her first ascent alone to the Matterhorn, her first climb without additional oxygen and outside help to Everest, and a British woman's first ascent to the North Wall of the Eiger.
Climbing the Eiger was Alison's first notable achievement, and she made it when she was six months pregnant with her son Tom in 1988. Alison noted that she was going to Denali, but the doctor wouldn't let her go to that height, so she went to the Alps. Despite the fact that many criticized the girl for her act, she claimed that her stomach was quite flat even at 6 months, so she did not have any problems, and besides, she “was pregnant, not ill.”
Alison died six years after giving birth to her son while climbing to the top of K2. Along with her, five more people died in the storm. Her son Tom inherited a love for mountains and adventure and was the first person to climb six Alpine peaks in winter. He ended his journey by climbing the North Wall of the Eiger, where he had already been in his mother's womb. Tom noted that Alison would certainly be proud of him.
About strong women
Olympic gold
Kerry Walsh Jennings and her partner Misty May-Trainor are often referred to as the best volleyball pair ever. They have three Olympic gold medals, winning 21 games in a row and losing only one set. However, at the London Summer Olympics in 2012, a third gold medal was not all Kerry thought about.
Jennings and her husband, being happy parents of two, decided to have a third. Kerry soon discovered that her period was delayed and her Misty, referring to recent mood swings, told Kerry that she was most likely pregnant. It was then that Jennings realized that it had happened even sooner than she had planned.
Walsh Jennings, who was already five weeks pregnant during the Olympics, and Misty won their third gold medal. The volleyball player noted that even then she began to feel something, but added that apart from feeling hopeful and motivated, her pregnancy at the Olympics did not change anything significantly.
Read also: Tips for pregnant women – how to get rid of excessive salivation
A world-renowned company
July 16, 2012 was a real treat for Chief Technology Officer Marissa Meyer. Mayer, who was an employee of a large Google company, was appointed CEO of the equally well-known Yahoo company, with the right to take office the next day. This news alone could make headlines, but Meyer had another surprise for the public.
On the same day, she reported that she was six months pregnant and was expecting a baby boy. While the news came as a big surprise to the public, the Yahoo committee was aware even before Marissa took office. She later noted that the absence of any changes in the committee's decision due to her pregnancy indicated their “adequate and mature thinking”.
Meyer was criticized for going on a limited maternity leave (only 2 weeks after the birth of her son and a month after the birth of twins). She successfully fought off critics by supporting working mothers. Despite her busy schedule, Meyer always found time for her kids.
What to do during pregnancy
Australian Open
The victory of famous tennis player Serena Williams at the 2017 Australian Tennis Championship was remembered around the world for a number of reasons. First of all, this victory earned her first place on the list of the most successful female tennis players. Second, she was Serena's 23rd Grand Slam Open win, while the tennis player became the most mature winner. The third reason, which was not previously known to the public or even to Serena's coach himself, was her pregnancy at the time of the victory.
Twelve weeks later, Serena reported her pregnancy by posting a photo showing her belly on social media and captioning it “20 weeks”. Representatives of the famous tennis player soon confirmed the good news.
Because the audience knew math and all the necessary dates, it was revealed that Serena competed at the Australian Championship 8 weeks pregnant, beating her sister in the final. Despite some complications after childbirth, a healthy and happy baby was born in autumn 2017. In March 2018, Serena returned to the court.
Women's achievements
Managing the country
In mid-October 2017, New Zealand politician Jacinda Ardern received two good news at once. One of them immediately spread around the world — her Labor Party was able to form a coalition, making Ardern New Zealand's youngest Prime Minister.
The second great news is that the new Prime Minister and her husband are expecting their first child. During the oath, only Jacinda's husband and her doctor knew she was pregnant. The couple only publicly announced this in January 2018. Many said that her pregnancy was planned, but Ardern announced that she would not be the first mother to work.
Indeed, she is not the first woman to
hold a leadership position during pregnancy. The Prime Minister of Pakistan was in the
same situation in 1990 and successfully returned to work the day
after the baby was born. 28 years later, her adult daughter congratulated Ardern,
and expressed the hope that her child would follow in her mother's footsteps as well.