Meet the Super-Mom, Alysia Montaño, Who Competed in the USA Nationals 5-Months Pregnant

Alysia Montaño isn’t just breaking records, she’s breaking barriers and paving the way for women everywhere. The fearless mom defied expectations and rocked the sports world with her baby bump, proving that pregnancy is no obstacle to chasing your dreams and fighting for gender equality. She’s not just running for gold, she’s running for every expectant mother who dares to pursue their passions.

She competed twice while pregnant to break stereotypes.

Alysia Montaño is an experienced American Olympian racer who is a six-time USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships 800 meters champion. She is also known for competing while 5-months pregnant with her second child. Although she finished last in the race, she significantly impacted competitive sports for women and mothers while showing off her baby bump in her Wonder Woman crop top.

This is actually the second time that she has competed pregnant. In 2014, she ran the 800 meters while 8-months pregnant with her first child. And she proved her strength again when she competed at the 2015 Beijing world championships while still nursing her baby.

She is empowering female athletes all around the world.

She decided to compete while pregnant to prove women’s careers don’t end with motherhood and to shatter stereotypes about pregnant athletes. And she certainly made a strong point when she wrote how: “My mission as a mother, as a daughter, as a sister, as a friend, and as a human is to always fight for good and the empowerment of others.”

She continued to say how, “I hope when my children think of me in their pursuits, they might see me as an example of strength and not only think ’Strong like Mom,’ but perhaps they may see their abilities and think ’Stronger THAN Mom.’”

Why she thinks its healthy

Montaño explained to reporters after her 2014 race that she was comfortable training and competing after speaking with her midwife and doctors, who encouraged her to go for it. She said, “What I found out mostly was that exercising and maintaining during pregnancy is much better for the mom and baby.” Her two children were both born healthy after competing pregnant with them.

She is fighting so athletes don’t have to choose between motherhood and their career.

Montaño has created a nonprofit called &Mother that: “helps support women in all of the spaces in which support is lacking.” Her campaign work came about after she lost her sponsorships (the primary income for professional runners) because of her pregnancy. She revealed in The New York Times that she couldn’t get maternity protection from Nike, her former sponsor. Thankfully, Nike has since changed their maternity policy.

In an interview, she opened up, “I hope that they gain the confidence to recognize that motherhood and a career can go together.” She continues, saying: “They don’t have to feel like they are devalued because that is part of a space in their life they want to fill. [They should have] the confidence to know that there’s nothing wrong with their choice of career and motherhood.”

It is a friendly reminder that the world is full of women caring for one another and that we have each other’s backs. This is also the case of Victoria Salcedo, who is fighting to redefine beauty, especially for amputees. Thank you to all of you powerful women out there who are making the world a better place for us all.