Transcript
Troy: Alright, hi Anna, welcome to our episode 3 of our little series here. and i just wanted to actually start if by asking if you could tell us a little bit about your sport, ah where you were in your career when you started thinking about starting a family, just a bit of a bit about you.
Troy: ah
Anna Taylor : Yeah, um well, I'm Anna. I'm a cyclist with Cycling New Zealand on the Paralympic team. um I started a cycling in 2018 after an accident.
Anna Taylor : I had a major back injury 2016 and that impacted my spinal cord. So that's kind of what got me into cycling. um ah So the accident and it happened in 2016. I started cycling in 2018.
Anna Taylor : and made it to Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
Samantha Child: Wow.
Anna Taylor : I probably started thinking about, so I'm, how old am I? 34. So it's kind of always been in the back of my mind. I'm like, I really love sport and I feel like I'm kind of just getting into the groove of of cycling and, you know, my body post-injury then I'm like, oh, I still have a lot to give, but, you know, I'm getting older and my window to have a baby or to start a family or to have a family at all is is getting pretty close, um you know, close to the end.
Anna Taylor : So I probably started thinking about it pre-Paris, probably 2023, but
Troy: Okay.
Anna Taylor : I think it was probably only after my success in Paris that it really became an option. um Granted, i've only been with my fiancé, Fran, since the end of 23, um and I don't know I think when I first met him I was like yeah you're the you're the love of my life so um that I wanted to have a family with him so it wasn't so much that but I think I just started like more realistically thinking about it post the success of Paris yeah
Samantha Child: Aww, we love that.
Troy: Nice.
Samantha Child: susan
Troy: Nice. And so can you tell me, is that how many how many children have you got? I'm assuming one at the moment.
Anna Taylor : Just the one, yeah. Just my little boy Henry.
Troy: Yep.
Anna Taylor : yeah He's grown up so quickly.
Troy: And so tell me, how how old is he?
Anna Taylor : He's only five months. He's five months. um he's just...
Troy: Oh, bless.
Anna Taylor : But he's he's a big little boy. He just used to be so little and he's big.
Samantha Child: Bye.
Anna Taylor : know.
Troy: It does go fast, doesn't it?
Anna Taylor : and i
Troy: So can you tell me, so you started thinking about this post Paris. um Was there anyone like within yours, you know, did you keep this kind of to yourself or did you chat with people within high performance sport or within your your sport in general? Like what was your, yeah, what was your process of that?
Anna Taylor : I think I started being a little bit more vocal about it probably the start of 24 of I guess more like in the daydream of like this would be really cool if you know if I could have a baby post Paris and I think it was probably not until the end of 24 so like November December that I had pretty serious talks about what does it look like there was also like quite a lot of transition so our cycling team fell under Paralympic New Zealand, our governing NSO.
Anna Taylor : And then of 25, we fell under Cycling New Zealand.
Troy: i
Anna Taylor : So we were in transition then.
Samantha Child: Oh.
Anna Taylor : And then also the coach that I had, Damien,
Anna Taylor : damien um
Anna Taylor : were um how do I put it so I had a new coach so um Brendan is a new coach and so I guess it was kind of in talks then um I guess talking to Cycling New Zealand saying hey this is what I'm thinking what options are there for me
Troy: Yeah. Mm. Mm.
Anna Taylor : Is there a maternity leave policy? What would that look like if I had a baby? Would it be supported? um And then same with Brenda, my coach, saying, you know, this is what I want to do Whether or not it happens, I don't know. Would you support me in that?
Anna Taylor : what would What does that look like? um So I started, of yeah, I guess having serious talks probably the end of 24, start of 25.
Anna Taylor : um And then I came off birth control the start, like in January of 25. And I was pretty lucky that um we got pregnant right away.
Troy: Yeah.
Troy: So when you reached out, um if you don't mind sharing, when you reached out to your sport and were kind of like, this is this is what i want I'm thinking of doing, and is there maternity leave support?
Anna Taylor : Yeah.
Troy: Is there all this? What was the reaction you kind of got from people?
Anna Taylor : It was pretty supportive, to be honest. um A lot of it was...
Anna Taylor : It was kind of hard because I definitely got the impression that they were supportive and wanted to support me with it.
Troy: All right.
Anna Taylor : But then there was also, I felt like there was this the part where it was so grey and they'd never, I guess, supported an athlete to do it before. So I think it was a lot of like ambiguity in the language, which was quite stressful and like nothing was written down.
Anna Taylor : So it kind of really stressed me because I was like, okay, well, Cycling is fully on board with this. Cycling New Zealand is fully on board with this is high performance sport.
Anna Taylor : And, you know, how all the funding works, the funding comes from high performance sport. So, you know, if financial support was actually a big part of the decision.
Troy: Mm-hmm.
Anna Taylor : um And saying that,
Anna Taylor : it it just made it quite stressful, I guess, in in some regards. I didn't know if I was going to be supported with that. And it's kind of like, OK, well, my income comes from high performance sport.
Anna Taylor : So if I'm not going to be financially supported, then I need to get, i guess, a regular day job and have that for at least six months to a year before I start trying it um to be able to get maternity leave.
Troy: er
Anna Taylor : Because I can't just, you know, take two years off paid employment. You know, that's not going to work.
Troy: Yeah, yeah. ah
Anna Taylor : um but they, i guess cycling was, cycling was on board and they were really supportive. So i guess I just trusted that they were going to keep their word, um, in that regard. Yeah.
Samantha Child: Anna, did you say that, oh, sorry, Troy, did you say that they had never um there had never been another cyclist who had done this before?
Troy: Would they...
Anna Taylor : like
Troy: No, you're good.
Samantha Child: Like, you were literally the first one, the first female to um say, hey, i'm I'm in your system, I'd like to have a baby.
Troy: Thank you.
Samantha Child: Like, there was no one else that you could even, like, chat to or talk to or model anything off.
Anna Taylor : um No. So Jamie Nielsen had a baby. I'm not actually sure when she had her baby. I'm pretty sure it was pre-Tokyo.
Anna Taylor : um Between Rio and Tokyo, she had a baby and came back for Tokyo.
Samantha Child: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : And actually one of my teammates in Paralympic cycling... Kate also had a baby. So there were, there are, there were other examples of it. Um, and you know, you had Lucy and Brooke, um, from rowing and, um, Rebecca Pitch, um, was also thinking about it, um, at that time.
Troy: Thank you.
Anna Taylor : And we actually ended up having, being pregnant pretty much at the same time, at the same time.
Samantha Child: Oh.
Anna Taylor : Her little boy is, um, think two weeks older than Henry. So, um,
Samantha Child: Oh, wow.
Anna Taylor : I think there was lots of examples and to be honest, I couldn't see why it would be a big problem to have, to take time out to have a baby. Um, cause I guess in my mind, i guess I just didn't understand why it was, why it was a big deal.
Anna Taylor : Um, you know, I can train up until having a baby and then I take six weeks off and then I start building back into it. So, um, yeah.
Troy: And did you do that? Yeah.
Anna Taylor : Pretty much. Yeah. but but Like within reason, right? So I, um, I had to modify my training and, um, you know, Henry was a big boy, so I started showing pretty quickly.
Samantha Child: so
Anna Taylor : Um, and you know, there was, there was considerations about, you know, like not getting too hot.
Samantha Child: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : Um, cause, But it was, I guess that I timed it pretty well in that um we were coming, like it was cooling down as the heat considerations were ramping up.
Troy: Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Anna Taylor : So um that was good timing my part, I guess. Hmm.
Samantha Child: yeah know So when you started to think about, okay, yes, I've had these chats with um high performance in Psyching New Zealand and I've figured out my financial situation, which I think is such a massive part of this whole scenario that like people don't realise, right? like It's not just a matter of stepping away from your sport and stepping back in. It's like all these other considerations that...
Samantha Child: we don't even know about that we have to think about. and it's not until it's like staring you in the face that you're like, shit, I've got to think about that and that and that. So you've kind of had these conversations and now you're like, okay, right.
Samantha Child: um Luckily, you mentioned that luckily it didn't take you too long to conceive, which is really... um awesome um so then when you're starting to think about okay I'm pregnant now I'm growing a beautiful little baby in my belly um in terms of like that continuation of training were you able to just like stay on with your coach and your same strength and conditioners and did they sort of help you um with you know like how to train and you mentioned the heat consideration for example
Anna Taylor : Yeah, we're lucky.
Troy: Thank you.
Anna Taylor : Yeah, so i continued training under Brendan's direction.
Anna Taylor : I'm not really sure for how long. um At least the first trimester and maybe the first half of the second trimester. And then um
Anna Taylor : and then it was kind of just do what I can with how I'm feeling on the day. um
Troy: Oh, yeah.
Anna Taylor : it started, started i getting bigger and then it started like becoming winter and I didn't feel confident on the road. anymore so moved on to the trainer um and then I stopped riding around I think it was about 32 weeks just because it was um I was just really uncomfortable I couldn't I couldn't sit on the bike yeah and he was like he was always measuring in the high 90 percentile and I was I was massive and I was just
Samantha Child: impressive to be riding around at 32 weeks. Goodness.
Samantha Child: Wow.
Anna Taylor : I was so uncomfortable. um I probably stayed in the gym, the gym, until maybe 36 weeks.
Troy: Thank you.
Anna Taylor : um
Samantha Child: wow
Anna Taylor : Obviously, everything was very modified. The gym, was under direction of Kino up until he he resigned from HP. um And I think I was about...
Anna Taylor : My memory is a little bit shaky, but I think like 27, 26 weeks. um And then Franz, my fiance, that's what he teaches.
Samantha Child: Oh.
Samantha Child: is
Anna Taylor : so as um he took me in the gym um pretty much from when Keno left. I think it was just a little bit, because I know that um there was going to be an arm Like I'm winding down and then I'd be in rehab phase and I kind of just wanted France to look over me in that wind down phase because I guess his expertise is in rehab and that's where I'd be going in.
Anna Taylor : So it would be good for him to have seen what I was capable for before moving into that. So...
Troy: having baby yeah
Samantha Child: yeah yeah and so good
Anna Taylor : Yeah, and he's at home. so as it all oh um
Troy: yeah
Anna Taylor : So that was good. And then a lot of direction came from the doctors um just and physio.
Samantha Child: awesome cool
Anna Taylor : yeah so it was I guess it was quite good with training because i think I went into the pregnancy knowing that it could Like it could end up being awful and that I could end up being someone who doesn't tolerate exercise at all. And so I kind of just went into it with the expectation that, well, guess no expectation of what I was going to be able to do and for how long. And I think that kind of took a little bit of pressure off me
Anna Taylor : to not... um I guess push my body when I didn't need to. So if I was tired, I would do what I could and then call it a day.
Troy: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Anna Taylor : Um, and I think I was pretty lucky that I was able to keep going for as long as I did. um
Troy: So this is, I mean, this is where I say about and being an athlete, you understand your body anyway at a different level.
Samantha Child: Mmm.
Troy: So I think as a um pregnant woman through your pregnancy, you kind of, like you said, when you felt tired, you pulled off. You know, when you had more energy, you're going to give it a little bit more. But you I really do believe that we do, well, anyone in and general, but I speak think especially when you're in high performance sport, you are very ah in tune to what your body is capable of doing and listening to it, you know.
Anna Taylor : yeah and in some respects I actually found in some yeah in some respects I did push myself a little bit um just with my with my back injury I was really scared that if I stopped even doing like rehab or walking
Troy: you
Anna Taylor : that I wouldn't be able to get it back. um Or if I stopped, I like momentum, breathed momentum. And so I just didn't want to stop for too long if I wasn't feeling good.
Samantha Child: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : So yeah. So there was...
Troy: Can you share with us, Anna, just to, um I know this is kind of backing up a little bit, kid but can you share with us what um parameters you're within with your back injury? So what you are and are and not able to do?
Anna Taylor : Yes. Yeah. So.
Troy: just Just to give us a bit, and then it kind of puts it into perspective as well with you um with your pregnancy and everything.
Anna Taylor : So I had a, um, injury called quarter equina syndrome and it's essentially where, um, the L4, L5 disc in my back prolapsed into my spinal cord.
Anna Taylor : And so everything below, so it was essentially my spinal cord was squished from that level down.
Troy: Okay.
Anna Taylor : um
Troy: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : I can still obviously...
Troy: Which we're looking at your mid, like where your spine goes like that, right? Is that what we're looking at? Or is that more your thoracic so it's little bit higher?
Anna Taylor : Yeah, it's probably like... No, it's like your lower back.
Troy: Lower.
Anna Taylor : Yeah, it's your lower back.
Troy: Okay.
Anna Taylor : um
Troy: Shows you how much I know about spines, doesn't it?
Anna Taylor : Probably like if you were wearing...
Troy: Lucky I'm not a chiropractor. ah
Samantha Child: Mm-hmm.
Troy: ah
Anna Taylor : feel like it's kind of at like the top of your pants.
Troy: Lumber. Yes, yes, yes. Okay, you're talking about your lumbar.
Anna Taylor : Yeah. Yeah. and So...
Troy: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : I guess the muscles below are affected.
Troy: Okay.
Anna Taylor : Yeah. And so, um just, um, strength and endurance are affected, um, as well as my bladder and bowel.
Anna Taylor : So, yeah, so I just have to, I guess, um,
Troy: Okay.
Anna Taylor : uh, what would you call it Manage it. yeah.
Troy: Did you find anything um
Anna Taylor : Yeah.
Troy: ah during pregnancy, like, was there any concerns that – or, like, going in when you were like, okay, I've fallen pregnant, and this is what I think I need to look at and was there things that, could like, surprised you that actually it wasn't – didn't affect me too much? Or, yeah, tell me your thought process on that with –
Anna Taylor : Yeah. To be honest, it's quite funny because um I guess anyone who kind of known has known me for a while knows that being pregnant is like my number one fear.
Anna Taylor : Like, I was so...
Samantha Child: but
Troy: And she did it.
Anna Taylor : Not having a baby, being pregnant, being pregnant and giving birth.
Samantha Child: just the pregnancy bit fair enough
Troy: Yeah. Yeah.
Anna Taylor : I was... Like for the longest time, it's like in order to have a baby, i had to be pregnant. And i think that was the longest time.
Troy: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : That was a big barrier for me because I just didn't, I wasn't sure how my body was going to handle it. And I was scared because I've had my back seized up because I've, you know, missed a couple of days of core rehab, you know, and I was like,
Samantha Child: Yeah.
Troy: Yeah, yeah.
Anna Taylor : um earth How on earth am I going to manage pregnancy where, you know, all you hear is that your tummy grows and your abs stop working. um
Troy: Yeah, yep.
Anna Taylor : And I think I was just, i was scared that um the pressure of being pregnant was going make my injury worse.
Anna Taylor : um Or i would just...
Anna Taylor : yeah, just like be so uncomfortable or immobile from it. So that was actually, that was a pretty big concern of mine. And I was very pleasantly surprised at how that didn't happen.
Troy: i mean and Fantastic.
Anna Taylor : So, yeah.
Samantha Child: amazing
Anna Taylor : Yeah. Because I think I just didn't quite understand like the mechanics of it. Like I could still engage my core,
Troy: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : throughout the pregnancy. And I mean, I haven't seen any photos online, but I was massive.
Samantha Child: oh but i all but i also think it's very reasonable it's like you don't know what to expect with any pregnancy let alone adding in you know like other variables and complications and so god i yeah i don't i don't blame you at all and to get to what 32 weeks on the back and 32 weeks, 36 weeks in the gym is like, that's incredible.
Troy: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : Like it was.
Anna Taylor : Yeah.
Troy: I'd like.
Samantha Child: Like such an amazing, amazing achievement. So you obviously then had your little boy Henry. Did you get to, um what, when, ah when did you have him? Were you about 40 weeks ish?
Anna Taylor : um I was 39 and five and we went for um
Troy: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : what do you call it an elective C-section. i just wanted to preserve, I guess, my body. um My bladder and bowel is already affected from my spinal cord and you I didn't want to risk
Samantha Child: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : um I guess, further damage from, from labour. So we just went with a scheduled C-section and, um, thankfully that was quite smooth. I was, again, I was quite terrified of being in hospital and, um, not sure like how, how it was going to go Like again, having my, my abs cut and say that you can't sit up or, you know, you're going to be completely immobilised and, um,
Troy: Mm-hmm.
Anna Taylor : you know, I was quite scared about that. Um, but it's other than, you know, getting the the spinal block and actually not being able to feel my legs in a hospital, it was quite, it kind of brought me back to the original injury, um, which was a little bit, um, traumatic, um, as cringy as that sounds.
Samantha Child: Yeah, surrender, sir.
Samantha Child: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : But I think once Henry was out, um, yeah, it kind of, it didn't really matter. So, yeah, he didn't come to me straight away here to go to the NICU for, i think he was there for about five hours or so, just had breathing for him, so, know.
Troy: Yeah, you're just focused on Henry.
Troy: ah
Anna Taylor : hello
Troy: That was hard. That must have been so hard.
Anna Taylor : Yeah, it was, um but, like, his, like, Franz was with him, so, like, so I I was just like,
Troy: Yeah, okay. All right. it what Yeah, okay. One of you were there.
Samantha Child: Mm-hmm. and
Troy: One of you were there.
Anna Taylor : Yeah, so was I think I was like, oh, I really would love to to hold my baby, but I think I was just, um like, i've I felt totally secure in that he was with his dad, so, yeah.
Troy: Yeah.
Troy: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : Yeah.
Troy: It was like when my, um sorry, we just bypassed it. But so my first baby was a C-section under general. So I was out and they were like, oh, she'll be up in an hour. And it took me like three hours to come to. And so then the second time, and I was a asleep through it. So I didn't know. i And then the second one, I ended up with an emergency C-section again. And this time, though, I had the spinal.
Troy: And my friend said to me, oh, it must been nice being awake for it this time and then having baby on you. But my husband didn't actually put baby on me, like was kind of holding baby at the side here.
Troy: But it was because I was shivering like this.
Anna Taylor : like
Troy: But I actually had to say to her, I was like, is it normal that baby can go on you?
Samantha Child: Oh, yeah.
Troy: But then I was seeing all these photos of babies like on their mummy's chest. And I was like, bloody husband.
Anna Taylor : okay
Troy: Didn't even get to hold her properly. ah ah But I was also in, la you know, I'm also going, hurry up and up.
Samantha Child: Oh, gosh.
Troy: And, yeah, your head's elsewhere as well at the same time, a little bit.
Anna Taylor : Yeah.
Samantha Child: Oh gosh and so you know you've got beautiful Henry he's here you're at home talk us through like that postpartum period in terms of like did you think about did you think about like training and recovery and rehab straight away were you able to give yourself like a few weeks just to like soak in having a little baby at home like what did that kind of space look like for you?
Troy: you
Anna Taylor : I think I was pretty lucky in that I knew that there's like a mandatory six week stand down from having a C-section, like it's major surgery.
Samantha Child: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : So um it was quite nice because, you know, I've been through pretty major setbacks before and I've also seen other people go through them as well.
Anna Taylor : And I guess you learn as ah as an athlete and being older that there is... literally no point in rushing it because you get back soon maybe two weeks sooner and then you spend the next two years trying to um manage injury that you didn't manage properly the first time so I think I had that in the back of my mind of like do it properly the first time and to be fair I didn't feel like doing anything like the first like
Troy: Yeah, totally.
Samantha Child: Neither.
Troy: but but i think we can all say the same for the first few weeks, right?
Samantha Child: yeah
Anna Taylor : yes
Troy: Yeah.
Samantha Child: Oh,
Anna Taylor : Yeah, and so i was it was actually quite nice just being at home and like the timing worked out well. Franz was with me for two weeks and then he went back to work for a couple of weeks and then he was on like the summer break.
Anna Taylor : um And so it was it was quite nice and I think I just went into postpartum like with no expectation of of what it was going to be like. So I think I...
Anna Taylor : I guess because I didn't have any expectation, I didn't, it just kind of was quite smooth. And you kind of get used to waking up. I was actually a little bit shocked that, um and I found it quite annoying actually, the first two or three weeks having to wake Henry up.
Anna Taylor : And yeah.
Samantha Child: if
Troy: Ah, yeah. ah Yeah.
Samantha Child: Yes.
Troy: To do the feed. Yeah.
Anna Taylor : Yeah. And I'm kind of mean, cause I'm like, because it's like every three to four hours, but the timer starts at this time of this first feed. And so if it was taking like 45, 50 minutes to feed him and then, you know, you're spending an hour to put him back to bed and then he's asleep for half an hour.
Anna Taylor : And then you're like spending half an hour waking him up to feed for so
Samantha Child: yeah
Troy: yeah
Anna Taylor : And it was, I found it quite annoying to be honest.
Troy: The feeding stuff at the beginning is just, it's something that's not really talked about much, eh?
Anna Taylor : Um,
Troy: But it is such a big thing about, like, the first few weeks, eh? Sorry, you've just brought that up again with me.
Anna Taylor : And I just felt kind of mean. So I'm like, the poor boy just fell asleep and now I have to feed him again and he doesn't want to be woken up. Like, he's been asleep for a long time.
Troy: And then he's feeding it. He's so tired. You're having to, oh, yeah, it was a never-ending battle, eh?
Samantha Child: yeah
Anna Taylor : Yeah. I just felt so bad because I'm like, you have to take his, like, you have to strip his his layers off and then, like so that he, like, you
Troy: Yeah.
Troy: Yeah. Did you try the cold flannel? I do the cold flannel and then I'm like, and they're like. Oh,
Anna Taylor : know, you just feel so bad. You're like, can't we just let him sleep? But,
Samantha Child: Yeah.
Troy: no.
Anna Taylor : come
Troy: Oh, bless.
Anna Taylor : you know was like he had a bit of fat in reserve you know like he was fine
Samantha Child: Oh, goodness.
Troy: Well, actually, mean, he's a big boy.
Samantha Child: Yeah. He's in the...
Troy: Oh, he's a big boy. ah
Anna Taylor : yeah he was 4.6 kilos so yeah so yeah he's so cute though yeah so I think um yeah just at first this first like I kind of just went quite quickly to be honest and I was kind of just enjoying it and
Troy: ah oh he's a big boy
Troy: That's
Anna Taylor : And then he starts waking up a bit more and I'm like, oh, I don't know. have to like start entertaining you, you know.
Troy: where I'm at. That's where at.
Samantha Child: you're like damn you used to just
Troy: know.
Samantha Child: yeah no
Anna Taylor : you know, you're just like, you know, it's just like you feed them, you cuddle them, put them back to sleep.
Troy: and
Anna Taylor : And then it's like, yeah.
Samantha Child: Yeah, it's quite a nice period of time,
Troy: ah none
Anna Taylor : Like I quite i really actually do.
Troy: Yeah, well, it's like, I'm like in a torn with it, eh? Like, it's nice, but then it's also hard. Like, it's just so, it takes, like, the baby cannot survive without you.
Troy: You know, like, that's literally it. Like, I look at Belle's 12 weeks, and I look at her, just like, you can't actually survive without me at the moment. You know? which is quite nice, but also very, you and someone who's, my friends call me a cactus friend because, you know, I'm a bit prickly. um
Samantha Child: but
Troy: um It can be a bit hard, you know. It's just like too much cuddles.
Anna Taylor : Yeah.
Troy: Sorry, we're sidetracking now.
Samantha Child: oh gosh oh it's so fine um and so henry's five months now which means that you're like post that six weeks you've had a couple of months to like start this whole i don't know postpartum return to sport and competition like yeah what was the start of that like and and where are you sort of at in that in that process now
Troy: ah a
Troy: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : Yeah, when i first got cleared, well, I started going for walks maybe at four weeks because it was just a part where I, like, I started feeling better.
Anna Taylor : And because I started feeling better, I started getting really antsy and, like, not wanting to sit at home um so much.
Samantha Child: Mm.
Troy: yeah
Anna Taylor : So we'd go for walks. lo Walks. It was, like, not very far. Yeah.
Anna Taylor : yeah, it'd be like 10 minutes, but just like slowly getting back into it And then I got on the bike at six weeks. Um, that was just a stationary bike and just really, really, I think the first ride was like five minutes. Um, I was really scared to get back into it. I took quite a,
Anna Taylor : It took a lot of encouragement for me to actually do it, to know that I was actually fine and um I'll get the doctor to to check my tummy and make sure that it's closed.
Troy: Yeah. Yeah.
Anna Taylor : And was scared for probably about another month that if I did too much that my tummy would like open up, um which I think I had to be reassured quite a few times that that's not how it works.
Samantha Child: Hmm.
Samantha Child: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : Yeah.
Samantha Child: But it feels that way, right? Like we've all experienced a C-section and like, yeah, I can totally relate. Like it doesn't, everything just doesn't feel like it's all so together and it could just like pop at any moment, which again, like you say, is not how it works.
Anna Taylor : m
Samantha Child: But shoot, when you're doing those first few exercises, you're sort of like, am I still intact? Yeah.
Anna Taylor : yeah like trying to like close the is it the diastasis that's what's cool I think I had like a three finger um at the top um so yeah and I think it was just like once I started being a bit more mobile I could feel the pulling on my scar even more and I i think I was just quite scared that I was gonna
Troy: Yeah.
Troy: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : it was going to open up. Yeah. That was my rational thoughts was my tummy's going to open up and everything's going to fall out or it will open deep and I wouldn't know until too late.
Samantha Child: Yeah.
Troy: Yeah.
Samantha Child: Yeah.
Samantha Child: yeah
Anna Taylor : And then I would be another major setback.
Troy: Yeah. Yes.
Anna Taylor : But I think, I think I kind of just kept trusting, you know, what, um, the physio and the doctor and, and, you know, my mum, um, you know,
Anna Taylor : I kind of just listened to their, was trying to listen to their voice instead of my own because mark my own voice would have, like, I probably wouldn't have done anything for, like, another month.
Troy: yeah
Anna Taylor : And then I would have got even more agitated because I needed to move, but it too I to. So I was just trusting that they knew what they were doing.
Anna Taylor : And, like, and I do trust that they know what they're doing and they know what's good.
Troy: And are you glad you trusted them? In
Anna Taylor : Yeah, I do. Yeah, I, yeah, definitely.
Troy: hindsight, because of course you probably, part your path well not probably, you passed that kind of period now and like in hindsight you're like, yes, I've chosen the right people to trust.
Anna Taylor : Oh, definitely. And I think they like, cause I've worked with them for quite a while. And so they, I guess they know that I'm a little bit apprehensive when it comes to my health and, um, you know, I'm like really grateful that they're a part of my team because,
Anna Taylor : I think to new people I come across as, um
Anna Taylor : I guess, quite anxious about my health. But no i to be honest, I probably am. But I've also, like, I need to trust the people that are telling me that it's okay so that I can move forward. And I probably wouldn't have done anything if I didn't trust them. Yeah.
Troy: I mean, but to be fair, Anna, you've also experienced something that a lot of people haven't, you know. You've been through something a lot of people have. So there it doesn't surprise me that you feel that way, you know.
Troy: and I think that it's a very normal and justified.
Anna Taylor : Yeah, yeah. I think, yeah, I think I, I know that about myself. um And, you know, like I i think um I had cancer when I was 19.
Anna Taylor : And I think that has also like made me wary of,
Troy: Mm-mm.
Anna Taylor : of my body and of, of like, I know my body really well and I know when things aren't right.
Troy: Mm-mm.
Anna Taylor : And so, but I know that it can get, um, mixed, especially in pregnancy. Like it's really hard to know that your body is changing so much and hard and things are changing so much.
Samantha Child: Hold on.
Anna Taylor : And it's like, unlike anything else, like every other time your body changes that much, it's usually for, like an illness or an injury. It's like a really negative thing.
Troy: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : And so it was real hard for me to, I guess, shift my mindset in that, you know, it's okay for your body to to change this much and to have all of these symptoms and it to be because you're growing a baby or you're recovering from having a baby and not
Anna Taylor : not because, you know, you've you've got cancer or something like that, you know?
Troy: Mm-hmm.
Anna Taylor : So...
Troy: Wow.
Samantha Child: yeah But like you say, right, like when you've never been through that journey before, it's so it's so hard to know like how you're supposed to feel or what your body is doing or how it's changing.
Samantha Child: Like remember going to that first like pelvic health, um like physio appointment and they asked how my pelvic floor felt and i was like, I can't even remember what it felt like before.
Samantha Child: Like I don't know if it's different or normal or whatever because yeah so many changes have happened to your body so yeah like Troy said it's like completely understandable how you could feel like that right yeah for sure
Anna Taylor : o
Anna Taylor : Yeah, or to like know what's normal from having a baby.
Troy: Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
Anna Taylor : You know, you're like, oh, hope this crazy thing happened. You're like, oh yeah, that's what happens when you' have a baby. You're like, okay. Yeah.
Samantha Child: right okay okay
Troy: Oh, good. i Because when someone says that, there you go, oh, yeah, I feel normal.
Anna Taylor : can't get money out of this. It's
Troy: Of
Anna Taylor : but
Samantha Child: oh gosh and so oh it's yeah it's a wild ride um before we kind of move on to some final few questions I just wonder like you've obviously talked about some pretty like massive things challenging challenging massive wow am I okay
Troy: course.
Anna Taylor : crazy, isn't it?
Troy: ah yeah
Samantha Child: You've talked about some massive challenges you've had to face, like both physically and mentally, just within like the last couple of months. And shoot, like five months, you're still right in the thick of this like postpartum recovery sort of space.
Samantha Child: Do you feel like um becoming a mum to Henry Do you feel like at that at this point you've noticed any like shift or change in your relationship with like training and competition and high performance sport?
Anna Taylor : Um.
Anna Taylor : um
Anna Taylor : I don't think so. don't, not yet anyway. um i think going into it, I, and going into, um you know, having a, like getting pregnant and having a baby, ah kind of had it in the back of my mind that this could be the end of my career.
Anna Taylor : um I didn't want it to be but I kind of had to accept the idea that this could be the end of, sport and so I think coming back and you know I'm almost back to what I was doing before pregnancy um which is awesome like my strength and power is back but I don't know so much about my endurance I don't have enough time to test out how long I can ride for um
Troy: Wow.
Samantha Child: Wow. Well done That's incredible. Yeah.
Samantha Child: Yeah. Got to be back to feed Henry.
Anna Taylor : yeah um so in that regard it's been pretty cool um
Anna Taylor : but So i guess I guess it's encouraging that I have been able to recover and come back to it. um But I think going into it, i had to accept the fact that this could be the end of my career.
Anna Taylor : um And so I guess everything else is a bonus. um In terms of like the
Anna Taylor : um like my relationship with light having Henry and then going back into sport... I don't think he's quite old enough yet to understand what ah i i know he's not old enough to understand what I'm doing.
Samantha Child: say
Anna Taylor : Even though he has his own bike. Not that he's big enough. He can't even reach.
Troy: Oh, cute.
Samantha Child: Little monkey.
Anna Taylor : camera He's not even crawling yet.
Samantha Child: Cool.
Anna Taylor : He's not even moving. He's a little baby. um I think when he kind of understands what I do, then I think it might change my relationship to sport. But I think at the moment it's, I enjoy what I do and I enjoy the idea of being able to get better. And I feel like before Henry, I was, I felt like I was, I'd figured it out and I wanted to, you know, keep pushing past that. And so I've just had a bit of a break and then now I'm getting back into it.
Anna Taylor : Yeah.
Troy: Nice.
Samantha Child: Awesome.
Troy: I have a question. What are your, um only if you don't mind sharing them, but what is your kind of, what are you working towards at the moment?
Anna Taylor : I think it depends on how my body tolerates the next couple of months. um I'd be really keen to make it to Worlds this year in October.
Troy: Nice.
Anna Taylor : need to make some benchmark times in July. um and I've been on the track bike twice since Paris.
Samantha Child: Nice.
Anna Taylor : So...
Troy: Okay. look
Anna Taylor : Not at all in 2025. And so it's been over a year, nearly a year and a half since I was last on a track bike.
Anna Taylor : So we'll see how we how it goes. my My events have changed. So um I'll be, to out of I need a little bit more power and explosive power in my new event, um which is fine.
Anna Taylor : I just haven't, done that yet so I'm a little bit nervous to see how that goes um like I'm strong now but I don't know what power looks like when you add you know when you add speed to it just with electricity
Samantha Child: Yeah.
Troy: exciting
Samantha Child: Oh, we look forward to following and watching.
Anna Taylor : in the joint yeah so we'll see I'm on the track an outdoor track but I'll be on a track bike next week if it's sunny
Samantha Child: Are you excited? Nervous?
Anna Taylor : I am excited.
Samantha Child: nervous Yeah.
Anna Taylor : I'm really nervous.
Troy: I was going to say I bet you you're nervous
Samantha Child: yeah
Anna Taylor : Yeah.
Troy: let's
Anna Taylor : um Thankfully, um I can go on the outdoor velodrome first for a couple of weeks before we go into the indoor one. um that
Samantha Child: Are they quite different? Sorry, excuse me. I'm i'm a cycling rookie here.
Anna Taylor : ah
Troy: No, yeah, I'm with you, Sam. I i am too. Sorry.
Anna Taylor : So the outdoor velodrome is essentially just... There's not really much of a banking.
Samantha Child: Like a gentle slope.
Anna Taylor : It's just, yeah, it's you could, it's pretty much like riding on the road, really. But it will be the bike.
Samantha Child: Gotcha.
Anna Taylor : it So it's fixed gear, so you can't coast on those bikes.
Samantha Child: Right.
Anna Taylor : um So it takes a little bit to used to.
Samantha Child: Got ya.
Anna Taylor : But the velodrome in Cambridge is just being resurfaced at the moment or sanded down. um It's really steep.
Samantha Child: I've seen it.
Troy: Yes. Yeah.
Samantha Child: It looks terrifying.
Anna Taylor : yes
Samantha Child: yeah
Anna Taylor : I'm a little bit nervous although granted I'm only going to be on the black line so I'll be at the bottom but you still have to be on the track and especially because it's going to be really I don't know if what they're doing to the track is going to make like faster or if if it's going to make it more slippery I can't imagine it would but I think I'll just be a bit scared to get on my bike yeah
Samantha Child: Yeah.
Troy: Yeah.
Samantha Child: Gosh. Oh, no, I'm sure you'll, I'm sure you'll do great. It'll be like that first nervous energy. And then just like, hopefully once you get into it, you'll be like, Oh, this is what I love.
Samantha Child: Like I love being out here and doing this.
Anna Taylor : Yeah. I might do the RPBs because I'd be too scared to go slow.
Samantha Child: Um,
Samantha Child: you might be so rapid just getting around there giving all that nervous energy oh gosh um yeah
Anna Taylor : It's safer if you yeah.
Troy: I'm kind of excited for you though. Like it's, I feel like I'm like you talking, it's like me reliving my um journey and I want to do it again. Cause it is kind of exciting, you know, like you're in this new chapter of your life, but you're also bringing in like, you you're still continuing with your life, you know, it doesn't, it hasn't stopped because, um yeah, because Henry's come along, you know.
Samantha Child: yeah
Samantha Child: yeah
Anna Taylor : Yeah.
Anna Taylor : Yeah. Yeah.
Troy: but now he gets to be a part of it.
Samantha Child: Okay.
Troy: And I think it sometimes it gives you a bit more reason, eh? Like, you know, it sometimes puts some stuff into sit perspective when you've got children now, you know? does for me anyway.
Anna Taylor : yet It's been quite nice because I ah feel like I haven't really entered the real world since by since having Henry because I've just been quite nice in my own little bubble.
Anna Taylor : You know, i train at home.
Samantha Child: Nice.
Anna Taylor : um
Anna Taylor : And I live at home, obviously. So I'm just like, ah just I'm quite enjoying my little bubble.
Troy: Oh, please.
Anna Taylor : And um so i think I think things will be different when I get back into...
Samantha Child: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : like into the environment, like going back to the track, um going back to the HP gym and, you know, being around my team a bit more.
Troy: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : So, yeah.
Samantha Child: Cool.
Troy: Yeah.
Samantha Child: And so thinking about like your journey so far, obviously, like this is just sort of the start of this, you know, like postpartum stuff. But when you kind of think back on what you've experienced, is there anything that you haven't shared that you'd like to or any other sort of like bits of advice that you'd like to give to anyone sort of thinking about doing this or in the midst of doing it themselves? Yeah.
Anna Taylor : talking about this in my space group so I'm not sure if it's just you know the temperament of Henry or if it's something that we're doing but I was always I think the best advice we were given going into it is if I'm calm he's calm and I try really hard to
Anna Taylor : I guess I just take all expectations off you know like if he's crying or or I don't know like I just you kind of just roll with the punches and I think it's so much easier and he's so settled and such a happy little dude that because I think we're we're not ever stressed um and if we are we just tag out well you know
Samantha Child: cool awesome
Troy: Yeah.
Samantha Child: awesome
Anna Taylor : So he never sees us stressed, which is cool. um I think the only other thing that I would love that is like a pipe dream of mine, I can't imagine, I can't foresee it happening, but it was so frustrating in pregnancy and in postpartum that a lot of things are not researched. And so it's like, is this safe to do? Is this safe to have? And almost always the answer was,
Anna Taylor : That hasn't been tested on a pregnant person.
Troy: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : Or breastfeeding. So we're going to err on the side of caution. No.
Samantha Child: Yeah. yeah
Anna Taylor : And it was so frustrating. Because.
Troy: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : You know you don't know how much easier. Things could have been. Or how much smoother things could have been. If.
Anna Taylor : You know. There were.
Anna Taylor : I guess more research to it. But like I understand where that.
Troy: Yeah.
Anna Taylor : Viewpoint is coming from. But.
Anna Taylor : it would be cool if science could catch up.
Samantha Child: 100% women's health in general is like so vastly under under research let alone anything to do with pregnancy so we're yeah miles behind where we should be really
Samantha Child: anna we're so that was amazing we're so grateful for your insights we yeah so lucky to have you on here
Anna Taylor : Oh, no, thank you.
Troy: Yeah. As I said, I'm really excited about the journey you've got ahead of you too.
Anna Taylor : know.
Troy: it's That's so cool, you know.
Anna Taylor : I feel like, hush yeah, i'm I'm quite excited for it too. But I'm just trying I guess, take it one day, to like, one step at a time, you know, and just, I guess...
Troy: totally.
Anna Taylor : yeah you know when you go into it with no expectations I think I just have to like carry that through and not revert back to my old athlete self when it's and it's like step back into the environment I don't know we'll see how it goes
Samantha Child: this
Troy: And.
Samantha Child: no it sounds like you've got a great mindset a beautiful supportive partner and a very happy contented baby so it sounds like it's all set up there for you which is yeah really fantastic
Anna Taylor : Yeah. Oh, actually, I will say that, um you know, I absolutely would not have been able to do that without Franz. Like, he has been for sure the best decision I've ever made having a baby with him.
Troy: Aw, please.
Anna Taylor : So, you know, like, I think...
Samantha Child: Oh, that's so nice.
Anna Taylor : You know, my consistency and stability and, you know, even being able to dream of having a sporting career post-Henry, think, is enlarged because of his support of me and of Henry.
Anna Taylor : So, you know, the fact that he's so hands-on and just a wonderful dad and a wonderful, you know, partner to me, like, I'm very grateful.
Troy: Yeah.
Samantha Child: That's amazing.
Anna Taylor : I mean, I get to marry him at the end of the year. I'm so excited.
Samantha Child: Oh, that's so exciting.
Anna Taylor : did love yeah not that'll be cool. sir
Samantha Child: Gosh, that's a big old year. Oh,
Samantha Child: awesome.
Troy: Henry will be just like basically just turned one, kind of is around that time.
Anna Taylor : He will be, yeah, it's about three weeks after his first birthday.
Samantha Child: Oh, how special.
Anna Taylor : Yeah.
Troy: Oh, bless. It is. Yeah.
Anna Taylor : It would have nice to have been married before we had a baby, but, you know, like timing doesn't work. Otherwise, would have been like a shotgun wedding and I, no, I don't want that
Troy: Me
Samantha Child: Yeah.
Troy: me and my husband kind of did that. me a year later, married, within three months, pregnant. I
Anna Taylor : that.
Troy: was like, oh, man. So we were very fast. Don't you worry.
Anna Taylor : like think, yeah, honestly, I think in the first month i was like,
Troy: When you know, you know. When you know, you know.
Anna Taylor : oh yeah it's actually crazy because was like i've known you for ages and i'm like actually i met him in november of 23 and he came to paris with me in august of 24 not even a year together fact we moved in after i moved in with him
Samantha Child: Wow.
Anna Taylor : gosh it would have been after like six months yeah and then we're talking about having babies we haven't been together for a year
Samantha Child: Wow.
Samantha Child: Hey, look, like you guys say, when you know, you know.
Troy: I mean, you know, you know. Yeah.
Anna Taylor : As cliche as it is.
Samantha Child: that's so nice. Oh, thank
Anna Taylor : Yeah.
Samantha Child: he thank you so much Anna that was awesome so
