Ágatha Bednarczuk, from volleyball, explains her training routine during pregnancy –

About to give birth to her first baby, the beach volleyball player Agatha Bednarczuk it’s all smiles when talking to about her routine, her expectations for motherhood and her next steps as an athlete.

She, who took advantage of the moment between the Olympic Games – the next one is in Paris, France, in 2024 -, to be a mother, told about her decision and her fears of not being able to get pregnant in time to return to training with a focus on the games, her relationship with food and how she managed to reconcile training with the different stages of pregnancy.

Read the full interview below:

Ágatha, you are literally days away from becoming a mother. How’s the expectation?

I’m even scared, because I’m calm. I thought I would be more anxious. But I’m calm, wanting her to come at the right time, I’m now organizing her things here in the little room. So, you’re at peace. But I think that, in the unconscious, there must be an anxiety going on.

Delivery is scheduled for October 31. She’s already fitted, she’s been ready to leave for a week. Because of this, I also had to drastically reduce the issue of physical exercises so as not to accelerate her exit. The important thing is that it stays in the belly, for the correct development of the lungs. Now, I’m a little quieter, I’m more at home, so she can come when she has to come.

By the way, you took a break this year precisely to get pregnant and have the baby before the Paris Olympics… What was it like to make that choice?

When it arrived at the end of 2021 and the team opened, at first I tried to form a new team. It didn’t work out and then I thought “Really, it’s a moment for me to be a mother”. I’ve always had this desire, but I kept it in a very carefully guarded box, to the point where I didn’t even get so involved with children because I knew that this would activate the desire for motherhood.

I knew that this would activate this desire, but I always knew that I wouldn’t want to have a child if I didn’t achieve some goals, if I didn’t participate in an Olympics. Both volleyball and motherhood are things that require a lot of focus. I preferred to focus 100% on volleyball and then become a mother.

Motherhood, in the past, was accompanied by retirement. When the end of last year arrived, after Tokyo, I said… “Wow, I’m going to decide to be a mother, but I can’t imagine myself far from the sands, I’m seeing myself well this end of the year… I’m going to try to do both!” It’s something I didn’t imagine! I really changed my mental paradigm.

It came at the end of the year, I went to the doctors to see if everything was right with my body, I took some meds to help with this process, I got anxious… How I programmed myself to return [para o vôlei], I knew that the sooner I got pregnant, the better it would be for me. And whenever I thought of returning, I thought of returning seriously, forming a strong team. I knew the sooner it would be the better.

It happened in February, naturally, even though I have frozen eggs. And I never stopped training at any point, I took my vacation in December, and I continued the training focused, because I didn’t know if the pregnancy was going to come, and I had some time for it to happen. I left it in God’s hands and it happened, in February. And I’m very pregnant here.

Yeah, and even pregnant you maintained a heavy training routine. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

I really stopped now. If you look at it, I went through the pregnancy super active, with a training that is above that of a normal pregnant woman. I’m an athlete, my body is used to it. But I did everything guided by the doctors, it wasn’t all in my head. I have follow-up from my obstetrician, who deals specifically with exercises, and Renan [Rippel, marido de Ágatha e preparador físico] assemble my exercises.

I trained in the sand, I didn’t want to run away, already thinking about the return. I trained up to 34 weeks in the sand. Three times a week, around an hour or so. Then it was according to the progress of the pregnancy. My belly took a while to appear, I have a stronger body, so it appeared at 5 months and then there were the adaptations: never more than an hour of training, being very concerned with the temperature issue… That’s why I trained very early . The issue of breathing too, never doing apnea… It’s a moderate exercise, I didn’t jump, I didn’t fall to the ground, I was very careful on the court, but I managed to print a nice rhythm, and I even did the work at the gym 4 times a week, with the same issues, worried about not racing my heart too fast, managing to talk, never going over an hour… I managed to do this strength work in the gym that will definitely help me on my way back, I won’t lose lean mass, and I like it academy! I even tried to put the pilates! But he didn’t have time.

When I start talking about my routine, it’s heavy! 4 times at the gym, 3 times at the beach and twice on the bike, but my athlete routine is crazy! For me, it was a moderate routine.

– (Diani Fernandes/Disclosure)

Preparing to participate in the Olympics is not simple… what is the role of your diet in this process?

One really cool thing is that I’ve been following a dietary re-education for many years now, I didn’t have to make so many changes because of that period, I already eat really well, with a lot of food diversity, I practically don’t eat junk food, it’s not a habit for me . I always had a performance nutritionist, but when I got pregnant, I looked for a pregnancy nutritionist. I’ve been with this professional since the beginning of the pregnancy, and what she gave me is very specific.

In the first trimester there is a lot of nausea, heartburn, and I only had it for 3 weeks, but she guided me. The second trimester was super quiet, but the third quarter was extremely hungry! I’m not used to waking up at dawn hungry. I think it was more a question of better organizing the portions during the day, when is the best time to eat nuts, always thinking about not letting hunger take over.

Did you have any pregnancy cravings?

I had no desire. I think it also has to do with my life before pregnancy. There are many mothers who, even with an active life, have difficulties, but I believe a lot in the pre-pregnancy thing, in my routine. I’m not even saying that it’s just an athlete, I’m aware of a healthy life… The day I retire I’m going to take this into my life, I like to exercise, eat well.

After the defeat in Tokyo, what do you keep hope and determination to try once again to win the Olympic Games?

That feeling didn’t come right after Tokyo, it came at the moment when I saw myself at the end of the year, around November, December, having to decide whether I was going to end up there… Post-Tokyo, I was thinking about the subject, I went reflecting. It’s time to stop, am I ready for this?

I am an athlete who is practically injury free, and many athletes retire due to injury. I have a structure around that is conquered after many years, a human structure, a strong medical team, a very professional work, I have Renan as a husband and a physical trainer who supports me in my decisions. I think it gets even easier on this issue, for him. He was super supportive of whatever I wanted. If he wanted to stop, it was beautiful, and if he wanted to continue, it was beautiful. Everything around helped me. And I thought “There’s still a little more”. Post-Paris, closer to retirement, I see myself stopping – something I’ve never seen myself. Today I’m sure I won’t continue.

It was all the items that make up everyday life, especially love. If I was really tired, I could have everything in my favor and say “I’m tired”, but I still see myself and I have all these factors on my side.

It’s hard to predict how the routine with your baby will be, but how do you balance motherhood with the athlete routine now and how do you hope to do it in the future?

I think this is a point, for a person as planner as I am, super difficult! This point makes me anxious! Until that moment, Kahena is in my belly, so I’m controlling the situation, I’m already more tired, I wanted to train until the last day and I can’t…

But overall, I was able to control the process a lot. When she is born, I know this will change completely! I know that my head has to be very open and flexible for changes, I know that I won’t be able to have the moments of rest that I had, the tranquility of organizing my day, I know that it will take up a huge amount of space, and I’ll have to adapt to it and get the best out of what I have for volleyball.

She’s going to be a little baby, I’m going to have to give her all my attention. So how to make it work in relation to volleyball is going to be the big secret. I’m going to plan – I’m already planning – I’m going to have to have a nanny with me. I’m planning to spend two months with her, just me and her, until December, and have a babysitter starting in January. In the place where I’m going to train, which will be at the club, I’m already imagining setting up a nursery!

These are things that I really only see on a day-to-day basis. I’m talking to a breastfeeding consultant and I’ve already talked to her, and she said that the ideal thing is to breastfeed before training – I’m already having this chat with people to find out about this return. Maybe I have to breastfeed when I get to practice instead of home. These are things like that in everyday life. I can plan the nanny, a little corner for us at the training site, run after the sponsorship now, to have the financial structure so that the nanny is with me all the time, including on trips. And I really want to breastfeed, but I can plan these things, but only on a daily basis will I know what the baby needs.

And I’m going to have a partner on my side, which is Renan. He took that desire and kept it like I did, so now everything will come out in him. When she’s born, it’s going to be really cool to share her day to day with him.