NOW WITH MADISON IN OUR LIVES, WE HAVE ONE
MORE REASON TO SMILE EVERY DAY
Q: What have been the biggest challenges of
becoming a mum?
I found the first eight weeks of breastfeeding to
be a huge challenge. I was lucky enough to have
a good supply but we had terrible trouble with
latching, to the point where I was so sore I’d be in
tears every time I had to feed her. Eventually we
both got the hang of it and now we’re doing well.
Q: What are the most essential items for
mums with new babies? What could you not
have lived without?
For any new mum having trouble with
breastfeeding, I highly recommend Multi-mam
compresses straight out of the fridge between
feeds. They were a lifesaver for me. And Miss
Maddie has perfected the art of spewing up, so
muslin squares are essential and kept within easy
reach, in every room of our house.
Q: Did you redecorate a room for the baby’s
nursery? Have you added any special
touches or received any special gifts that
have found a home in the nursery?
We turned one of our spare rooms into a nursery
and decorated it in a Winnie the Pooh theme. We
have a huge canvas of Winnie and his friends on
the wall and Maddie loves it. She talks to it every
day and loves to smile and stare at it.
Q: How has your relationship changed with
your husband?
Chris is such a naturally caring person and we
are both so easy going. We always have such fun
together and make each other laugh every day.
Now with Madison in our lives, we have one
more reason to smile every day. Obviously, we
don’t get much time alone these days, but on our
first date night without Maddie we just ended up
looking at photos of her and talking about her
anyway. We have transitioned from a couple to
a family of three so easily that we already can’t
imagine our lives any other way.
Q: To be an Olympian, you have to be very
focused on every aspect of your body
and how it is performing. How has your
relationship changed with your body since
going through pregnancy?
As an athlete, I had such control over my
body composition. If I needed to lean down for
competition I usually could do it quite easily.
Pregnancy means losing complete control over
your body, which I found quite challenging. I had
to learn to readjust my normal from an athlete
mindset very quickly. I’ve now come to terms
with the fact that I will never be as fit as I once
was.
Q: Were there lessons learned in your
swimming career that you would want to
instil in your little girl?
There are so many! I want Maddie to learn how
to set goals that are important to her, no matter
how big or small. I want her to be brave and
bold enough to chase her dreams, no matter what
they are. I want her to not be afraid of failing,
as the best lessons come from failures. I want
her to learn from her inevitable setbacks and
emerge on the other side of them a more capable
and confident person. I want her to learn that
intelligence and talent are only a small piece of
the puzzle and that hard work, determination and
perseverance count for much more. And most of
all, no matter what path she chooses to follow in
her life, I want her to enjoy the journey.
Q: Is Madison a water baby? Could we have
another future swimming champion in our
midst?
Maddie has loved the water since the day she
arrived. We took her for her first swimming lesson
at four months old. Chris and I are big believers
in water safety and we want her to respect the
water and be comfortable in it. As for a future
swimming champion, that is really up to her. If
she does decide to swim though, I want it to be
for her, not because she thinks she should with
mum and dad being Olympic swimmers.
Q: Is there anything you want to say to your
mum now that you are one also?
When I was little, I used to ride my bike around
our neighbourhood. My mum used to have a rule
that I had to check back every 10 minutes, which
meant I could only ever get five minutes away. I
used to hate it and would always complain. Now I
have to say sorry to Mum, as I can finally relate!
52 Pindara Magazine 2017