Chelsea's Melanie Leupolz is a unique player in her team and a rarity in women's professional sport. she is my mother.
A mother who returned to her sport at an elite level after giving birth.
But the 29-year-old German international and Olympic gold medalist has had to answer a lot of questions about her decision to take time out and start a family.
“Initially, I got some comments like how can you start a family in your best time as a footballer, why didn't you wait until you retired?
“I didn't listen. I knew what I wanted, a child and playing football too, and anything was possible.”
This was possible because Chelsea have a progressive attitude towards women's health, helped no doubt by the presence of a coach, Emma Hayes, who is also a mother, and has also worked in women's football in the United States, where maternity leave among female players has become more common.
“I told Emma immediately for my safety and the baby's safety. So I was training with the team for four months but without any contact.
“They were careful about my heart rate and that I didn't put the ball in my stomach, but I was happy that I was able to come onto the training ground and see my teammates and get involved, and they didn't know that at that stage.” “
Melanie Leopolz. Photo: AP
But she still has to take the better part of a year off competitive soccer. Enough time to potentially lose your place, or lose the focus you once had due to a change in priorities.
Leopolz says she doesn't think this has changed her passion for the game but she admits it's different.
“You change a little bit as a person because there's another big part of your life. Maybe you see football with different eyes and maybe that helps with pressure and focus.
“But I still wanted to win it all! Two months after I was born, I was back with the team and traveled to winter camp. I was back in the full team and playing soccer. It's amazing how quickly everything went.”
Read more from Sky News:
Ping Pong Battle The football coach lost his job
Williams posts a bikini photo after giving birth
She was lucky enough to get a new contract before leaving to give birth to her son. So the financial worry is removed.
Many women still postpone having children until the end of their careers
For many athletes in other sports, the financial burden of having a child, traveling the world for tournaments, and taking care of the children with you, exceeds the financial resources of all but the elite female athletes.
It is not surprising that many female athletes postpone starting a family until after retirement. Sports are a short career indeed, and so are the financial rewards.
American runner Allyson Felix, the most decorated athlete of all time with 10 Olympic medals, famously found herself in a worse position financially when she became pregnant in 2018.
Allyson Felix at the IAAF World Championships in July 2022. Photograph: Reuters
Its sponsor Nike reduced its payout by 70%. She ended up shooting them down.
“Pregnancy has been known as the kiss of death for Olympic track and field athletes,” she said.
Serena Williams was not treated the same way by the brand when she announced her pregnancy after winning the Australian Open in 2017, but as perhaps the (arguably) greatest female player of all time, she had more marketing clout.
Williams also changed the Women's Tour (WTA) maternity rules after speaking out about the lack of protection for female players and pregnancy.
After being ranked No. 1 in the world, Williams returned a year later with her daughter, but was ranked 451st.
Serena Williams with her daughter Alexis in August 2022. Pic: AP
Women in tennis are allowed to maintain their rank while on maternity leave
Now players can protect their seeding in the first eight tournaments after having a child, so they're not starting from scratch, pulling out a new world number one in the first round, while still being recognized for their previous good work.
But the main challenge facing all but the world's top players is cost.
Players at the bottom of the rankings don't earn enough to support traveling from week to week with a nanny.
This means paying for extra flights and an extra hotel room. The math doesn't work.
British doubles player and Sky commentator Naomi Broady has struggled to return to the sport she loves.
Naomi Broady at Wimbledon in July 2018. Image: Reuters
“It's pretty much impossible, I'd be completely reliant on what I earn on the field, and then if a parent or my partner can't travel with me, it's going to be a nanny too, so unless you're earning serious top dollar, it's not achievable.”
Becoming a mother certainly seems less challenging if you are part of a team and have the support of your club.
Leopolz admits that she had to make sacrifices and had to think and plan a few steps ahead to make it work, like any other working mother in any other walk of life.
Attitudes towards athletes who start families while still playing their sport are slowly changing.
But even she won't add to her family until she hangs up her shoes.
