New Zealand netball has had a tough year.
First of all, the Steel and Magic teams missed out on the ANZ Championship final having been convincingly dominated by their Australian franchise counterparts. There is, however, another phenomenon sweeping through elite netball.
It's called the "up-the-duff" phenomenon and it must be causing Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken a headache or two. They started dropping off like leaves in autumn as soon as the ANZ transtasman tournament started - Daneka Wipiiti, Leana de Bruin, Julie Seymour and the latest casualty, Adine Wilson. The announcement that New Zealand's Olympic golden girl, Sarah Ulmer, is also expecting clarifies that this epidemic isn't isolated to the sport of netball.
It is something that most women face in their lives.
When is the right time to start a family? Do I even want one? How will having a child impact on my life and my aspirations? In all seriousness, though, balancing an elite sporting career with motherhood is not an easy task, and all these women should be commended for giving both a damned good go.
It wasn't so long ago, that pregnancy and childbirth implied the end of professional sport involvement for women.
During pregnancy, the safety of both mother and baby was considered a key reason for ceasing participation.
Many of the netballers continued to play in the tournament and did not announce they were pregnant until three to four months into their pregnancy, which may draw `tut tuts' from some in terms of what impact this will have on the baby.
Anecdotally, I have heard of women who continued to play rugby (yes, rugby, with full-on tackling, rucking and mauling) until five months pregnant. Someone should warn women that when they get pregnant their body no longer belongs to them, and the rights of the baby often supersede their rights as an individual. At no other point in your life do people feel brave enough to comment on what you eat, drink, smoke, or do with your body.
Once the child has been born, that is another story.
Many mothers do not return to professional or elite sport, either because they choose not to or because elite sport and the way it is set up does not cater for mothers.
Some sporting organisations (such as netball) seem to cater for mothers quite easily but there are still many sports that squirm when faced with a pregnant athlete or mother wanting to return to sport with child in tow.
Of course, there are some amazing women who do manage triumphant comebacks, such as Paula Radcliffe who won the New York City Marathon nine months after giving birth.
At the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics, 20 of the 286 female competitors in the US team, and three of the 84 female competitors in the New Zealand team, were mothers.
I struggle to get myself organised to play sport, let alone get a baby or family sorted so that Mum can go and do something for herself.
In a study I conducted with Dr Sarah Leberman, interviews with elite female athletes and leaders in New Zealand sport who had children revealed how important sport was to their sense of self, how significant support from partners, families and work colleagues was, how reciprocally beneficial the two parts of their lives could be, and how coping with feelings of guilt associated with trying to balance their sporting endeavours with motherhood was essential.
As one of the interviewees mentioned, don't underestimate someone that's had a baby.
It's emotionally draining, it's physically draining, it hurts and you feel all these things that you've never ever felt before in your whole life.
I think that gives you the edge.
Another interviewee mentioned it is so easy for a mother to feel guilty for taking time out for themselves or taking time out from family to commit to sport.
I salute these women.
All the best to these expectant Silver Ferns, as they face perhaps one of the biggest challenges of their lives.
The sabbatical from sport may be just what they need to get back the hunger and urge to compete at the highest level, and if they do decide to come back they will be mentally tough mommas that you wouldn't want to mess with.
It might be just what the Silver Ferns need to win the next World Cup.
