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EPISODE FIVE, SHIRAY KAKA - RUGBY SEVENS
15 Plays9 days ago
In this episode we are joined by Shiray Kaka, olympic gold medalist and a key member of one of the world's most successful sevens teams, the Black Ferns Sevens.
Shiray is currently experiencing this journey at seven months post partum, however not only is she returning to sport after having her son but she's ALSO rehabbing from an ACL repair. Shiray shares her experience in a sport where this is becoming the norm, and support is growing by the day.
Recommended
Transcript
Intro
Introduction to Sheree Karka
00:00:40
Troy
Sheree, welcome to um episode five um of our little podcast series here at the moment. we Thank you for joining us. i want to start out by asking you, like, obviously, I know you're rugby sevens, but can you give me a bit of rundown about how many kids, ah where you're at in your return to sport or where, you know, just branch it out, start it for us.
00:01:02
Troy
ah
00:01:02
Shiray
Okay, okay. So yeah, Sheree Karka, I 31 years old, played for the Blackfin Sevens for, oh gosh, too long and don't have enough bloody caps for the other amount of years that I've given to that team.
00:01:17
Shiray
But um I think maybe, yeah, I've 12, 13 years I've been with the team.
00:01:21
Samantha Child
That's amazing.
00:01:23
Shiray
um in and out of the team um yeah so just spent heaps of years with him anyway um have one child his name is korehi korehi malose kaka and he is seven and a bit months i was just trying to work it out was spen before i
Dual Recovery: ACL Injury and Motherhood
00:01:38
Shiray
think yeah seven almost eight maybe um but have like five dogs, three cows, two pigs, like we've just got a full one cat that's trying to eat my arm right now but um you've got a full-on farm here which is heaps of fun.
00:01:38
Samantha Child
my God.
00:01:44
Samantha Child
my god
00:01:53
Shiray
I am the niggly thing with my return to play is I actually did my ACL before I went to get pregnant so did my ACL when I think I was maybe, oh gosh, had surgery,
00:02:11
Shiray
just before the or just after the Olympics so I never I can't even keep it all the time so 2024 whatever and then um decided to have try for a baby while I was recovering from my ACL so at the moment I'm seven months postpartum but I'm also trying to come back from my ACL as well which is um yeah a double whammy and I can't find any other athlete's
00:02:14
Troy
Okay. okay
00:02:31
Samantha Child
Like a double whammy.
00:02:37
Shiray
Like there's no other date data or anything about how to come back from an ACL and a baby at the same time time or what the timeframe looks like or anything like that. So
00:02:49
Troy
Can I just interrupt you for a second? Sorry. Just talking about that. So it's, have you noticed any, um I guess what I want to try and get down to is, have you noticed anything anything that was, say, na because I've done my ACL, right? Not, and then not got pregnant and had a baby while I've been doing the recovery thing. So um more for my, like, just because I'm curious, you did that, you've fallen pregnant and Has it changed because of the pregnancy as well?
00:03:15
Troy
as Do you think that that's changed your recovery from the ACL injury or surgery? Sorry, should I say?
00:03:20
Shiray
Handle yourself. Yeah, yeah, because I've done my ACL.
00:03:22
Troy
Yeah.
00:03:23
Shiray
This is my third time doing my ACL now. So the two the two other times were completely different because I could sleep the day away.
00:03:25
Troy
um Okay.
00:03:30
Shiray
Now I've got a child.
00:03:31
Troy
honey
00:03:32
Shiray
You know, you you can have surgery and you you can be tired and you can do what, like, you know, just focus on you solely your knee.
00:03:33
Troy
Yes.
00:03:34
Samantha Child
Right.
00:03:38
Troy
Yeah,
00:03:39
Shiray
But now i can't do that. I can't, um yeah, i I can't catch up on sleep because sun's waking up every two hours.
00:03:41
Troy
yeah. yeah
00:03:47
Shiray
It's just ah my priorities are a little bit different as well.
00:03:50
Troy
And.
00:03:50
Shiray
So yeah, the the recovery is completely different in this time around. And even I had a C-section too. So it's a C-section ACL and just postpartum.
00:04:00
Samantha Child
um
00:04:01
Shiray
So it's it's been a bit of a ride. It's been a bit of a ride. But I feel like I'm finally kind of coming out the other side and feeling a bit more human and all my body parts aren't sloshing around as much as they were.
00:04:15
Shiray
probably just last month so yeah it's it's very very different to the past two times I've had to come back from an ACL
00:04:18
Troy
ah
00:04:24
Troy
Yeah. Okay, cool. That's what I was wondering too, is when to able to compare. um Because at at the moment, that's all you've got, right, is you can compare your recovery from when, you know, just doing it without having had a baby.
00:04:36
Troy
And now you've got that comparison with a baby. Yeah.
Deciding on Motherhood: Influences and Support
00:04:39
Troy
But anyway, I want to kind of take you back a little bit in your journey.
00:04:40
Shiray
yeah
00:04:43
Troy
um You've kind of you touched on it a little bit, but it sounds like it was more of a planned thing to have a baby as opposed to, ah oh, surprise.
00:04:54
Troy
um Were, like, did you reach out to anyone in your sport at the time that you um were thinking about it? Or did you keep it all kind of hush-hush? And if it, when it happened that, you know, can you take us through that a little bit?
00:05:08
Shiray
Yeah, so I, after, ah before the Tokyo Olympics, I said to my husband, if we win gold, I want to try for a baby then. We won gold, and i was like, I actually kind of want to keep going.
00:05:21
Samantha Child
I remember Sheree, am I right that you, i did you put out like a post kind of about that whole like conundrum of what to do? Was that you?
00:05:29
Shiray
Yeah, yeah, that was me.
00:05:30
Samantha Child
yeah.
00:05:30
Samantha Child
yeah
00:05:30
Shiray
That was me.
00:05:31
Shiray
um Just because I'm like, every woman thinks about it, but you have to give up your job. You you have to give up money. You have to, don't know, just kind of put your dreams to the side for a little bit to then create ah a different dream, which is like, that was a really hard decision.
00:05:38
Troy
Amen.
00:05:49
Shiray
But when I did my ACL just before the Olympics, I thought it's kind of, you know, perfect timing. I still was going in and out. ah Even when we were trying, i was thinking maybe we should just stop and maybe I should just keep coming back and plan another time.
00:06:05
Shiray
um Cause I was going to go and play NRLW and just try something new. um Still play sevens as well. And then, Yeah, I did talk to people in Sevens because the Sevens, they are really, um the program, are really supportive around what I found they were around women getting pregnant, especially the NZRPA.
00:06:22
Troy
All right.
00:06:30
Samantha Child
Cool.
00:06:30
Shiray
The NZRPA are just... or any question you have, any support you need, they will be there for you. And now we've got an amazing lady, Cara, what's her new name? She got married.
00:06:43
Shiray
Anyway, Cara, she looks after all the um athletes who have just had babies. And, you know, she's like, if you need support with a nutritionist postpartum, if you need a support here, whatever, just just talk to me and they can talk about funding or whatever.
00:06:52
Samantha Child
um ex
00:06:54
Troy
Oh.
00:06:57
Shiray
pelvic floor therapy it's yeah there's always somebody to answer a question and if they can't find the answer they go and find it um so yeah I was very very supported in that um
00:07:07
Samantha Child
Wow.
00:07:11
Samantha Child
And do you feel like that translated over into like your environment? So we obviously got the players association you can go to, but did you feel like these were conversations that you felt comfortable to have with like other people in your team or your coaches or like, it wasn't something that you had to kind of like hide a little bit?
00:07:24
Troy
And.
00:07:29
Shiray
Oh, you definitely, I definitely felt that with, with just telling the outside world, like the coaches and the management and stuff, because you've still got a job to do and they've still got a job to do as well and finding players that can actually play for their team.
00:07:37
Samantha Child
yeah
00:07:46
Shiray
So, I, I would never go to a coach, even if I absolutely love them. Um, even if I trusted them with my whole heart, I would never go to a coach and say, I'm trying for a baby.
00:07:58
Shiray
um, just because who are they going to choose? Someone who's fully able to play or someone, someone who could leave halfway through the season and and you can't count on them.
00:08:03
Troy
Yeah, totally. Yeah.
00:08:08
Shiray
So um i get it from both sides.
00:08:08
Samantha Child
Yeah.
00:08:10
Shiray
I, i understand they've got a coaches, management, NZR have a job to do.
00:08:14
Troy
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:08:17
Shiray
And I understand that, you know, women have to live their lives as well and they need to find that balance. So yeah, personally, I would never tell, the people that are contracting me. um But yeah, that's just something that I guess people have to factor into women's rugby now or just women's sport in general, that that's what we want to do.
00:08:39
Samantha Child
I mean, it's the same.
00:08:40
Troy
but I was just going to say it's the same in the and in any um career really that a woman chooses even if even within not within sports.
00:08:40
Samantha Child
Oh, you got Troy.
00:08:53
Troy
you know like ah you know It's that kind of thing of um are they are they going to keep my job for me for the next year or are they you know looking for someone else or ah you know you if you're planning on having a baby it's like oh well I can't go to that interview and Let them know that that's what we're trying to do, you know.
00:09:10
Shiray
Yeah.
00:09:11
Troy
But you also have to live your life, right, because it could take a long time to fall pregnant or what, it you know.
00:09:13
Shiray
Yeah.
00:09:16
Troy
Like, you imagine going to your coach and going, oh, by the way, just so you know, we're trying, and then not getting selected and then not falling pregnant that whole season.
00:09:26
Troy
yeah, yeah i I totally get it. totally get
Post-Pregnancy Reflections and Decisions
00:09:29
Troy
it.
00:09:30
Shiray
I think the cool thing now though is I'm in a place where I've had my baby now. So you know that you can count on me for the next five years because I am not getting pregnant for a long in time.
00:09:37
Troy
Yes. Okay. Yeah.
00:09:41
Shiray
by yeah Oh, I am.
00:09:42
Samantha Child
I would not recommend it. I would not recommend it.
00:09:45
Shiray
yeah I think I know how I'd handle it more now, but yeah, get that shit away from me.
00:09:47
Samantha Child
No.
00:09:48
Troy
yes but thing
00:09:51
Shiray
i think it is not it is wild.
00:09:51
Samantha Child
Oh, that's wild, isn't it? Gosh. um So,
00:09:56
Troy
yeah
00:09:57
Samantha Child
At this point, so obviously like one gold in Tokyo, of like an epic achievement, had a little bit of uncertainty, obviously did your ACL and then so perhaps kind of put you in the space of like, okay, well, maybe now's the time.
00:10:09
Samantha Child
You've fallen pregnant, which is really exciting. and What was sort of your process from there?
00:10:11
Troy
Thank you.
00:10:13
Samantha Child
Like did you um keep training with your squad at the time? Was that an option for you? Did you step away and just sort of like live out your pregnancy? Like what did that sort of look like? Yeah.
00:10:23
Shiray
Yeah, again, it was different for me because I had done my ACR, so I was already training by myself anyway. I couldn't be in the team trainings. I couldn't be around. And it was just when the girls had won gold at the Olympics, so everyone was off-season anyway.
00:10:38
Shiray
um So it looks a little bit different now for people who are and pregnant and in-season. They still have to...
00:10:43
Samantha Child
I feel like half your team's pregnant at the moment.
00:10:45
Shiray
I know.
00:10:45
Samantha Child
It's so exciting.
00:10:47
Shiray
I know.
00:10:47
Samantha Child
I threw another one, was it, Theresa, today that um announced she was pregnant.
00:10:49
Shiray
Yeah. Yeah, there's about six of us that have had six or seven maybe.
00:10:54
Samantha Child
That's incredible.
00:10:56
Shiray
um Yeah, so it's it's cool. There's going to be heaps little babies running around and everything. But... Yeah, it was, I think the the first thing that i um thought about was money because my husband was a teacher aide too and they should be getting paid way more than they do, but he, like their pay is nothing.
00:11:15
Shiray
And so the biggest worry for me was the money side of things because every time you go,
Financial and Contractual Considerations
00:11:20
Samantha Child
Yeah. It's
00:11:20
Shiray
you travel overseas, you get bonus money too.
00:11:23
Shiray
Yeah. And so I obviously wouldn't be training overseas. So it would just, it was a lot different. And so I think, i'm I'm sorry if this is wrong. I can go, but I tried to check, but I can't remember.
00:11:33
Samantha Child
okay
00:11:35
Shiray
um i think, so at three months, you have to tell the coaches and team that you're pregnant. I think I might've told them a little bit earlier just to give them a bit more time to stir.
00:11:45
Troy
this in your contract?
00:11:46
Shiray
Yes. Yes. Yes, um yeah, at three months you have to tell them and then you get paid after that, I think you get paid 50% of your contract.
00:11:50
Troy
Yeah.
00:12:00
Shiray
yeah I need check that, I need to check there cause like i yeah that yeah, the details are really important.
00:12:03
Samantha Child
It's okay.
00:12:03
Troy
Okay. That's all right. But so you take, you basically take pay cap.
00:12:05
Samantha Child
Yeah.
00:12:08
Shiray
Yeah. Oh, yes.
00:12:09
Troy
Yep.
00:12:10
Shiray
Maybe, no, 80% until six months and then it goes down from there to maybe 50% and then you go on to the, once your due date is gone, you go on to the government's payment.
00:12:21
Samantha Child
yeah
00:12:21
Shiray
that ma
00:12:21
Troy
or the six months, yeah.
00:12:22
Shiray
Yeah, for the six months and then you just go and live your life after that. Yeah.
00:12:28
Samantha Child
Yeah, I'm so interested in how that works because, and i I know that you probably don't know the ins and outs, but it's so tricky, right? Because if you've got like one athlete in a squad, then maybe you can justify keeping them contracted and supporting them financially because holy shit, turns out, you know, kids and babies cost money and where are you going to get that from if this is your job?
00:12:36
Troy
Thank you.
00:12:47
Samantha Child
But in the same breath, it's like when you've got six, what do you do? Like, because then the, this is it's such a hard conundrum because it's like the resources are, so finite in any sport really like yes sevens might have more than another sport but at at the end of the day there's only one pot of money and it's like how do you make it work so that you like you retain these like six amazing athletes who need and deserve that support to be able to like have their babies and come back if they want to but also have enough money to field players on a team until they're back like I just don't know how you figure it out
Postpartum Challenges and Support Systems
00:13:33
Samantha Child
I mean, you might have not been in training super intensely anyway, given you're recovering from your ACL, but what did that sort of like six, eight, nine months look like for you training wise?
00:13:43
Shiray
Yes, i um was only, I think again, the girls yeah the girls might have gone on break, but I had all the support I needed. I had a trainer, I had had physio, I had pelvic floor therapist, I had nutritionist.
00:13:58
Samantha Child
Amazing.
00:13:58
Shiray
I had everything at my fingertips. so the um there was no excuse for me putting on that much weight. Let me tell you that.
00:14:08
Samantha Child
Hey, now, when you're growing a baby, your body does your body does what your body does.
00:14:10
Shiray
There was no excuse.
00:14:13
Troy
No, but hey, Jare, I trained all through my pregnancy for both.
00:14:16
Samantha Child
Yeah.
00:14:18
Troy
Granted, not at a high and light level like that. And I'm just one of those people that balloons out. Like I put on 20, 25 kilos.
00:14:25
Shiray
if
00:14:26
Troy
You know, i like I don't know.
00:14:27
Samantha Child
Yeah, your body does what it needs to do. Yeah.
00:14:29
Shiray
Oh my goodness.
00:14:29
Troy
You know, some of us just carry big. Yeah.
00:14:31
Shiray
yeah no do you know what it was it was actually in the second trip so I did a um renovation show and think it was the whole second trimester I just did absolutely nothing like I just ate because after the renovation show we had to finish a room in four days so yeah I was just so tired and honestly if there was chocolate
00:14:42
Samantha Child
Wow. Oh
00:14:48
Samantha Child
my God, you wouldn't guess.
00:14:49
Troy
Yeah, it's stressful.
00:14:55
Shiray
like i I would dream about chocolate. I would dream about cookies.
00:14:57
Samantha Child
a
00:14:58
Shiray
It was just come to me. And for the first time I could.
00:15:01
Samantha Child
It was your son telling you what you needed, i reckon.
00:15:03
Shiray
Exactly.
00:15:04
Samantha Child
him
00:15:05
Shiray
I'm paying for it now, but it's fine. It's all good.
00:15:07
Samantha Child
No.
00:15:08
Shiray
yeah
00:15:09
Troy
ah You know what to do, though.
00:15:09
Samantha Child
Gosh.
00:15:11
Troy
That's the thing like that's the good thing, you know. Cool.
00:15:13
Shiray
Yeah, but yeah, again, we had, i had everything, and I still have, like, all the support now. um If I, yeah, if I needed a trainer, I'm lucky that our old trainer from the sevens, she's just amazing, and she's just helping me, and same as a physio that I know as well, she's, yeah, Adina and Murph, they've been just amazing for me.
00:15:19
Samantha Child
Amazing.
00:15:28
Samantha Child
That's cool.
00:15:33
Samantha Child
Can you imagine doing it without that? Like, can you, like, you, would you even, could you, do you know where you'd even like start to look for stuff?
00:15:37
Shiray
No.
00:15:43
Shiray
Oh, I would have no idea.
00:15:45
Samantha Child
Yeah.
00:15:45
Shiray
i would have no idea. And I think I would also have no idea because of my knee too. So I would be on chat GPT asking for workouts. That's what I'd be doing.
00:15:55
Samantha Child
No, Chatty G's a pretty good gal. She she knows her stuff.
00:15:58
Shiray
Yeah. I feel like it's low-key male though. So I don't know if he'd know his stuff that well.
00:16:01
Samantha Child
Yeah.
00:16:03
Shiray
Yeah.
00:16:04
Samantha Child
um Righto, so you made it through the pregnancy and you had your little bubba came along and you mentioned that you had a C-section with him.
00:16:13
Shiray
Yes, and he was facing the wrong way. He just kept doing like turns in my and my stomach, um down low, and ended up, his heart rate kept rising or something, so I had to go, go in for a C-section.
00:16:27
Shiray
But I was here at home hoping for a water birth. sitting out yeah sitting up for a water birth and then um just had complications and had to drive into Tauranga hospital so um we live out in the bush too and like 45 minutes away from Tauranga so I was getting car sick and having contractions at the same time it was just it was hilarious though like my husband and were just laughing the whole time don't know we're just like two idiots you know
00:16:39
Samantha Child
Oh gosh.
00:16:42
Samantha Child
Wow.
00:16:45
Samantha Child
Oh my gosh.
00:16:47
Troy
Oh no, a horrible.
00:16:50
Samantha Child
no Was it?
00:16:53
Samantha Child
um
00:16:54
Troy
That's good. At least you're in a good positive mindset, you know, because that makes such a difference.
00:16:55
Samantha Child
ah la
00:16:57
Shiray
and
00:16:59
Troy
Such a difference.
00:16:59
Shiray
Oh, it was because we we got to the hospital and i um and I cracked a joke and no one laughed. And that's when I thought, maybe something's wrong. Oh
00:17:09
Troy
yeah
00:17:10
Samantha Child
gosh because troy you had a you had a similar experience hey like almost yeah identical
00:17:11
Troy
that Yeah, yeah. I went for a home birth and ended up with the most extreme where I had C-section under general. i was like, oh, I was going no drugs and then I was out.
00:17:20
Shiray
gosh. Yeah.
00:17:24
Shiray
god
00:17:25
Troy
But you just have to roll with it, right?
00:17:26
Shiray
sir
00:17:27
Troy
You just go, all right.
00:17:28
Shiray
yeah
00:17:29
Troy
And then I tried for my second to do a home birth again.
00:17:29
Shiray
It's a man.
00:17:33
Troy
and i once again, I had to go in for a C-section again.
00:17:34
Shiray
And then?
00:17:36
Troy
So, you know.
00:17:37
Shiray
Oh, and under as well or no?
00:17:38
Troy
no this time I got to be awake, but...
00:17:40
Shiray
Oh.
00:17:41
Troy
Mate, I don't know if I, that was not a pleasant experience.
00:17:44
Shiray
Oh, the tremble. It was the shaking that got me.
00:17:46
Troy
I was shaking from the, it must be the drugs, but I could not stop at full shivers, and then the rummaging around, it's just a very, guess I say the word unpleasant, because you can endure it, but it's like, this is so not, I wouldn't go, yes, chuck me in there again, know?
00:17:46
Samantha Child
ah it's It's the shapes. It's awful.
00:17:52
Shiray
Yeah.
00:18:07
Shiray
Yeah, no, no, not at all.
00:18:09
Troy
Yeah. ah
00:18:10
Shiray
yeah Well, how's about the guy couldn't get the epidural needle into, like, he was like, can you feel this? Yes, that's to the right of my spine. Can you feel this?
00:18:21
Shiray
That's the left of my spine.
00:18:22
Samantha Child
Like, come on, brother, you can do it here.
00:18:23
Shiray
Yeah, I felt so bad.
00:18:25
Troy
oh
00:18:26
Shiray
He was so loved. I felt so bad for him, though, because everyone was silent and just staring at him.
00:18:30
Troy
yeah
00:18:31
Shiray
It was hilarious. Yeah, yeah.
00:18:33
Samantha Child
oh Oh gosh. And so little bubs arrive and you mentioned before like a lot of that same support you had in your um pregnancy was maintained throughout your postpartum period, which is just really fucking cool.
00:18:47
Shiray
Yeah.
00:18:47
Samantha Child
But yeah, just talk to us about that like early recovery, sort of what that was like. Is there anything that like, I don't know, surprised you or challenged you like mentally or physically?
00:18:57
Shiray
um Hilarious.
00:18:57
Troy
Sorry, I've got a little one Yep, yep.
00:18:58
Shiray
Oh, hi, darling.
00:18:59
Samantha Child
Hi little bubby.
00:18:59
Troy
something like kedo
00:19:00
Shiray
Hi.
00:19:01
Samantha Child
She's okay.
00:19:02
Shiray
Yeah. um Funnily enough, you know those blood thinner injections that you have to take or that you have to inject yourself with?
00:19:08
Troy
yeah ye
00:19:09
Shiray
Anyway, Gilly's a scared of needle, so I had to inject myself.
00:19:13
Samantha Child
Come on guy.
00:19:13
Shiray
And when I injected myself, I created a hematoma on my uterus.
00:19:14
Samantha Child
way.
00:19:18
Shiray
And so i had to go back into hospital two weeks after having sun.
00:19:19
Samantha Child
Oh. Oh.
00:19:23
Shiray
And so that's, yeah, that was just another little hiccup in the road, I suppose. So all of my recovery was two, three weeks behind.
00:19:34
Shiray
um But I kind of took that as a sign because after I had sun, I was like, right, let's go. I'm ready too get back into it. But then when that happened, I took it as a sign to kind of just slow down and enjoy um just enjoy being a family like having son and being parents and the no sleep and everything and so that's kind of the um the mindset that I've taken now because understanding how fast it goes I have no idea he's a kid now he's a little kid and it makes me so sad so I'm really glad I've just slowed down and taken the time not to rush back into sport
00:19:54
Samantha Child
Laugh it up.
00:20:02
Troy
Yeah.
00:20:12
Troy
Totally.
00:20:13
Shiray
Because that will always be there, but the time that's, you know, going past won't be with Sun.
00:20:20
Troy
Totally. delay
00:20:20
Shiray
um Oh, it makes me sad thinking about it. But, yeah, I'm like, what do you mean?
00:20:24
Troy
Well, it does go fast. I mean, we've all, yeah, we've, you know. um So I've just got a bit of a question in terms of what your forward planning looks like.
Setting Goals and Future Plans in Rugby
00:20:33
Troy
I mean, as you said, you're going kind of taking it slowly, whatever. but Do you have ah a set goal in mind that you'd like to be back for um in the near future?
00:20:42
Shiray
Yeah, so when I first wanted to come back, I wanted to try everything. So Opeki, NRLW, and then come back to Sevens. But then ah when I was thinking that, that the time from, I think they all of their pre-season starts in May.
00:20:57
Troy
Mm-hmm.
00:20:57
Shiray
And again, I was just, Sheree, you need to slow down and just...
00:21:01
Samantha Child
hmm
00:21:01
Shiray
my My focus is getting fit fast and strong again. So because I chucked on a heap of weight with pregnancy, our goal is to get me a little bit closer to my old playing weight just so that my joints and everything aren't so sore when I move.
00:21:16
Shiray
Because I know where I can feel where every joint goes in every single part of my body. i can feel it.
00:21:22
Samantha Child
no
00:21:23
Shiray
So yeah know that's one goal is to just drop a few kgs I can um move a lot more freer. and then i want my fitness and strength to be up so that you know there's no risk of injury when I do come back.
00:21:30
Troy
Yeah.
00:21:36
Samantha Child
Yeah.
00:21:37
Troy
Yeah.
00:21:37
Shiray
Oh, sorry. Not no. you There's never no risk, but there's just a lower risk of injury when I come back. Because me thinking about being injured and having to look after a child, and no thank you.
00:21:46
Samantha Child
a
00:21:49
Shiray
that's That's not what I want. So, yeah, that's my main focus is just getting fit fast, strong again, and minimizing risk of injury.
00:21:52
Troy
la
00:21:58
Shiray
I don't have any... any teams in mind, because I know once I get fit fast, strong again, up to my standards, that the teams are just going to flow. They're just going to come and everything's going to work out from there.
00:22:07
Troy
Yeah, yeah.
00:22:10
Troy
Nice.
00:22:10
Samantha Child
Right.
00:22:11
Troy
So can I just ask, where are you with your ACL um recovery timeline? Like, I mean, because obviously how long ago did you have your surgery now? of What?
00:22:22
Shiray
yes
00:22:22
Troy
A year and a half?
00:22:23
Shiray
Almost, I think a year, yeah, a year ago, maybe, maybe it was, yeah, a year.
00:22:26
Troy
Yeah, okay. Have surgery before after you were pregnant?
00:22:30
Shiray
A year and a half. I had surgery before.
00:22:33
Troy
Okay, all right.
00:22:34
Shiray
Yeah. Maybe a year and ah a year and a bit.
00:22:35
Troy
Okay. Okay.
00:22:37
Shiray
So it feels sturdy, but I've got one last test or a few more tests to do in about four five weeks.
00:22:45
Troy
Yeah.
00:22:45
Shiray
That'll determine whether my knee is as good to go. And then it would just be the rest of the body to follow.
00:22:51
Troy
Yeah.
00:22:52
Shiray
um,
00:22:52
Troy
And how are you feeling? Like, are you feeling like, I mean, you obviously have had a couple of surgeries now for your ACL. So you kind of know, I'm assuming that you kind of know where you're at with your recovery.
00:23:03
Troy
Do you think you are close to being signed off?
00:23:06
Shiray
Yeah, yeah. Honestly, i'm not what I'm not worried about my knee at all.
00:23:08
Troy
Yeah. Okay.
00:23:10
Shiray
It's just the rest of my body. I just, yeah, I need to just feel strong again everywhere else.
00:23:12
Troy
Yeah.
00:23:15
Troy
How's the core?
00:23:17
Shiray
Oh, sis, it's not good, eh?
00:23:20
Troy
You know what I've found myself doing is like looking at old pictures of my abs. um but I don't know if I could ever get back there because it's looking like I'm still three months pregnant at the moment.
00:23:29
Shiray
Yeah. Yeah.
00:23:30
Troy
ah
00:23:31
Shiray
Yeah. It's just not budging. Cause everyone told me, you know, when you breastfeed, the weight just drops off. It is, it's so stubborn.
00:23:37
Samantha Child
oh it's a lie it's an actual lie yeah nice
00:23:38
Shiray
It's more stubborn than me. And I didn't think that was possible, honestly.
00:23:41
Troy
no ah
00:23:44
Shiray
it's just It's not, it does not want to budge. it's But then I was thinking, sweet, I'll just use it kind of to bulk up. Because i went up before pregnancy, I was quite tiny.
00:23:55
Shiray
But I want to use it to just be muscly as and just bumping people off, you know, just adding something new to my to my repertoire for rugby.
00:23:58
Troy
Yeah.
00:24:03
Troy
Yeah.
00:24:04
Shiray
if
00:24:04
Troy
I like it.
00:24:05
Shiray
Yeah.
00:24:05
Troy
I like it. Yeah.
00:24:06
Shiray
now I will say, though, like I... I can take my time because social media is paying the bills at the moment. So ah yeah, we like, we're doing documentaries.
00:24:15
Samantha Child
Nice.
00:24:15
Troy
yes
00:24:20
Shiray
We're doing, um or like ads and stuff online. So
00:24:25
Samantha Child
Cool. Yeah, I've seen so much stuff pop up.
00:24:26
Shiray
Yeah.
00:24:27
Samantha Child
It's, yeah, really cool, the opportunity.
00:24:28
Shiray
Yeah. Sorry about that. Sorry. i got to buy some nappies.
00:24:30
Samantha Child
No, I think it's, I think it's, no, but that's the point.
00:24:31
Troy
Yeah.
00:24:31
Shiray
Yeah.
00:24:32
Troy
Yeah.
Balancing Motherhood, Sports, and Social Media
00:24:34
Samantha Child
I think it's, like, so great that, you know, like, very deserving people get those opportunities and, you know.
00:24:40
Shiray
Oh, thank you.
00:24:40
Samantha Child
Cool.
00:24:41
Shiray
and it it's so much fun that we're really enjoying it at the moment too. And because it it does give us the freedom to be home as a family and um just to have fun and hopefully put some smiles on people's faces too that need it through the screen.
00:24:55
Shiray
So yeah, I will say that's another thing that we're very, like I don't have to rush into work and um think about daycare and pumping and all that sort of stuff.
00:24:55
Samantha Child
Yeah.
00:25:00
Troy
yeah
00:25:01
Samantha Child
That's... Oh.
00:25:04
Shiray
So um every day I think about how fortunate we are to not have to do that.
00:25:04
Samantha Child
Yeah.
00:25:10
Troy
Mm-hmm.
00:25:10
Samantha Child
ah You've kind of already touched on it a little bit in terms of just like talking about slowing down and taking your time. But do you think kind of entering this phase of motherhood and becoming a mum...
00:25:21
Samantha Child
Has it changed your relationship with training or can you see it changing your relationship with like competition and once you get to that stage?
00:25:30
Shiray
Yeah, I think before i got pregnant, I was like the team was my life and I would have stuff out of it too, but um I would come in and I would try to fix things and try to help everyone and um just have like a huge team focus.
00:25:43
Troy
Thank you.
00:25:49
Shiray
But I think now, I'm moving with purpose. Like sun hasn't given me a purpose. I'm now moving with purpose. So I come into the gym, I do my gym and then I go, you know, it's just, yeah.
00:26:00
Samantha Child
See
00:26:02
Shiray
it's and And there's no background, like any, there's nothing happening in the background for me. Like you do your job. I do my job. We're good to go. like I don't, I don't know
00:26:13
Troy
Yeah.
00:26:14
Samantha Child
ya.
00:26:14
Shiray
It's just,
00:26:14
Samantha Child
I can so relate to that.
00:26:15
Troy
Well, you're a bit more time poor, right? When you've got a like all of a sudden you're every minute, every hour, like it counts. Right. So you're not going to be there, you know, you're not there filling time or yeah like, you you know, when you're used to, whereas now you've got time that you want to spend with your your um children, you know.
00:26:34
Shiray
Yeah, yeah, 100%. hundred percent
00:26:37
Samantha Child
And then kind of like fast forward. So, hot you know, i'm I'm hoping we see you back out on the field um sooner rather than later.
00:26:43
Troy
Thank you.
00:26:44
Samantha Child
Fast forward sort of thinking to about about that time. Has anyone in your team been through, it probably in the more recent era, sort of been through this experience? And what's that look like in terms of um the ability to bring Sun away with you or will he stay home?
00:26:59
Samantha Child
Like, have you sort of started thinking about those kind of things are you just like back of mind until until we get there?
00:27:05
Shiray
No, we definitely thought about it. So if I was to go back to Sevens, then you're allowed to bring a support person up until they're one.
00:27:13
Samantha Child
Amazing.
00:27:14
Shiray
um So, yeah I would definitely bring Gillies with me on tour if that was, if Sevens was the way for me to go.
00:27:20
Samantha Child
And do they help do they help support that, um like resource that financially?
00:27:24
Shiray
yeah.
00:27:24
Samantha Child
Oh, so great.
00:27:26
Shiray
Yeah, I think that's still the case.
00:27:27
Samantha Child
Cool.
00:27:27
Shiray
I'm pretty sure that's still the case. If it was, say, NRW or something, you're just in that one place, so it's a little bit easier.
00:27:33
Troy
Thank you.
00:27:34
Samantha Child
Yeah.
00:27:34
Shiray
So he would just move over with me and we'd get a house or something. And then Opeki, it's in New Zealand. So, yeah, that would kind of...
00:27:43
Samantha Child
Yeah. And a short, like a shorter window. Hey, is that right?
00:27:45
Shiray
Yeah, yeah, in a very short window. So the only big one would be if I was to go back to sevens, then, um yeah, that would happen. But even if once he gets past one, I would still want them coming in with me everywhere as well.
00:27:57
Samantha Child
Yeah.
00:27:58
Shiray
So I'd just have to annoy you with some more videos on your feed.
00:28:01
Samantha Child
Get jobs out there.
00:28:05
Samantha Child
so last final couple of questions um what's one piece of advice or two if you have it you'd sort of give to another athlete who was um considering making pregnancy a part of their career or considering this sort of choice
00:28:21
Shiray
Um, I would say as much as you have too much pride, try to use the people around you.
00:28:22
Troy
Thank you.
00:28:28
Shiray
um like just by me reaching out to a physio I knew and a trainer I knew, i now have a team that backs me. Um, you know, like with Murph, I'm not even paying her.
00:28:37
Samantha Child
Amazing.
00:28:39
Shiray
She's just, she just wants to help. She's an amazing person. So if you can, ah you can find those amazing people to help you on your journey. um you know, when they say it takes a village, it's it's a village for you, not just for your child, it's it's for you and your partner, so yeah, I think that's one thing that I would say, and then also just, if you can, just take your time, enjoy every little moment, because yeah, it just doesn't last forever.
00:29:05
Troy
Thank you.
00:29:08
Samantha Child
I think that's such a valuable piece of advice because if i kind of reflect on when I was doing it and I know that lots of us sort of felt the same, especially in team environments, we took the um the perspective of like, oh, don't want to be a hassle so I won't ask anyone for advice or help or anything. And, you know, like you wanted to just like seamlessly come back in and not not worry about anything and you didn't want to be like, a yeah, a hassle to anyone and you just sort of end up trying to do it all by yourself, which is just...
00:29:37
Samantha Child
not Not a great idea. i wouldn't recommend it.
00:29:40
Shiray
Yeah, I would recommend.
00:29:41
Troy
you
00:29:42
Shiray
It is though because um I just feel like you don't, we the people that you see online, they're coming back and they are just thriving. There's no, you know, you don't see the the nappies or the washing all on the floor or the dirty dishes.
00:29:51
Samantha Child
No. 100%.
00:29:55
Shiray
You just see an unreal athlete in the gym that's like come back from a baby. and i feel like we've missed all the steps in between of how hard it actually is to do that.
00:30:03
Samantha Child
hundred six
00:30:05
Shiray
So, yeah, I don't know. Maybe my next video will be how much washing there is on the floor or something. I don't know.
00:30:11
Samantha Child
we've all got it I wish you could see the state of like the room behind me it's like it's a spare room and it's just a dumping ground it's disgusting um one other thing that I love to kind of know and ask is why do you think it's important to help mothers stay in sport and to give them this opportunity
00:30:12
Shiray
Yeah, the reality. Yeah.
00:30:20
Shiray
yeah
00:30:33
Shiray
Oh, I think maybe because the story that we are constantly told is that once you have babies, once you have kids, you can't chase your dreams anymore. Um,
00:30:46
Shiray
And I think if we're supporting women and being mums and still being able to do what they love, then we're actually creating a better world for everybody too. And and we're not um we're not falling behind.
00:30:57
Shiray
We're we going up with the trends. And so, you know, women's women's sport is going up. And by, you know, supporting mothers as well, we're women too. Everything else just elevates. So, don't know if that's a good enough reason, but then that's what I would say.
00:31:11
Samantha Child
I love it. It's a bloody fantastic reason. I don't think we do need a reason, but I just love to know what people think about it.
00:31:16
Shiray
Yeah.
00:31:19
Samantha Child
Sheree, thank you so much for your time. It's just so great to get some valuable insight and actually hear like a ah really like positive story where you've got amazing support and just sort of understand what that looks like.
00:31:29
Samantha Child
So thank you so much for sharing. We really appreciate it. Oh,
00:31:32
Shiray
No worries. and Nice to meet you guys properly and like face person.
00:31:37
Troy
Well, I'm about to go and follow you because I don't follow you.
00:31:41
Shiray
Please don't.
00:31:41
Troy
prepared but i I'm curious now.
00:31:42
Shiray
Don't do it. You don't need to.
00:31:45
Troy
I've got to pay your bills.
00:31:45
Shiray
Oh, it's our yes.
00:31:45
Samantha Child
oh
00:31:46
Troy
that
00:31:47
Samantha Child
yeah
00:31:47
Shiray
Thank you. I'll take that. I need some more nappies.