Pregnant with her second baby, Jodie talks us through her experience so far and how this pregnancy journey has differed from her previous.
Jodie won a silver mixed team medal at the Rio Paralympics, and this year she hopes to be just as successful, if not more so, in Paris. She has been dubbed a trailblazer of this year’s Games, competing at 28 weeks pregnant and showing the world that motherhood and sporting triumph can come hand-in-hand.
“With our first baby we held off until after Tokyo because we didn't want to interrupt my career, interrupt the Games, and then Tokyo got postponed and so that obviously added delays. Then sadly, we lost three. So, [our first baby] was born at the end of 2022, which was over two years later than when we were originally hoping, but things happen that way.” 
Jodie competing at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
Jodie and her partner Christopher didn’t want to risk putting having another baby on hold due to the hurdles they faced before, especially as with their first pregnancy they experienced ABO incompatibility; the baby had his dad's blood type, blood type A, and because Jodie is type O, it was making her really sick. Twelve weeks in and she could barely shoot, and by sixteen weeks she was almost signed off completely.
“We weren’t going to hold off having a family anymore based on sport. Why shouldn't I be able to do both? We were trying and sadly we lost one on the back end of last year [2023]. It was heartbreaking. We got through it, and then we carried on trying.”
They found out they were pregnant again around the end of March towards the beginning of April this year, and it all came as quite the shock, even though they were trying.
“We weren't checking, I hadn't had a period, but I'd also been really, really ill in hospital. And then, we took a test and it was positive. We didn't get our hopes up with all the troubles and stuff that we'd had before. We kept it really quiet, sadly expecting the worst, because that was the pattern that we've had. And then it was positive and everything's going really really well. We've had more regular scans, and I've been really fortunate that I've got to watch this little gumdrop grow from a tiny little dot into a baby. We don't know the gender, and we’re not going to find out which is exciting.”
Thankfully, her current pregnancy has been the complete opposite to her first. Besides some food aversion, Jodie commented that she sometimes has to remind herself that she is in fact pregnant. Some days she finds herself eating all the time, and others she can barely manage to keep anything down; something which has been a particular challenge where shooting is concerned.
“My body needs fuel because I need to perform, but if I were to eat, I'm going to be hurled over a bin. So it's almost like a Catch-22, and I've got to weight up is it better to just shoot with less fuel and make do, or force food down me and risk not shooting at all. And that's probably the hardest thing that I've had to do. It literally changes daily.”
Pregnancy has led Jodie to do an overhaul of her technique, almost starting from scratch again. As her body develops with her baby’s growth, she’s found that her shooting changes too. Her weight has shifted, effecting her balance and stand, and because her disability stretches through her core and her hip, she can’t just change her foot placements.
“We’re not too sure what effect the pregnancy has had, but I’ve definitely come back a lot stronger. I don’t know whether it is a case of being pregnant, but I am extremely fortunate that I am probably shooting the best I’ve ever shot. And I suppose I like to think that it’s not just pregnancy related, and I have put all the work into it to get to this point. But there are definitely advantages and disadvantages, especially being a para.”
Jodie and her coaches have done extensive research into pregnancies at the Paralympics, and there isn’t a lot for them to go on, especially for an athlete as far along as Jodie is. With pressure training, they’re keeping an eye on Jodie’s blood pressure and heart rate to make sure that she and baby are both happy. In terms of the weather, they have cooling strategies in place in case the heat takes a turn. Even when it comes to her clothing, she’s had to get different sizes of competition wear, as she didn’t know what size she was going to be back when they had the kitting out day.
“We're just a bit more mindful. The team has been fantastic. They consider what the possibilities that could happen are, and what we can do. They've been great. The British Paralympic Association have been fantastic. They’ve allowed me to get three different competition wears set up and ready. So I’ve got one that’s a bit bigger, one that’s a lot bigger, and one that should drown me. Whatever I don’t use I’ll send back, and then they’ll redistribute and recycle.
"I am going to the Games pregnant, and if that doesn’t show women out there that they don’t have to choose between their career and having a family, then I don’t know what does. But to show that you can get to the peak of your career, you can get on that podium, and you can be pregnant. There’s nothing stopping you as long as it’s safe, then go for it. There shouldn’t be any limitations anymore.”
Jodie in action at this year's Paralympics.
“At Rio, I wasn’t ready. I’m not going to sit here and pretend I was ready. Rio was the first time I’d ever shot in a gold match in my life. Whereas I feel now, as an athlete, I have progressed, I have been in more gold matches than I can probably count at this point. So, I definitely feel in that sense that I'm ready.”
Jodie hopes to bring back two medals from this year’s Games. After winning a mixed team silver in Rio, she is gunning for the gold. Individually, she wants to be standing on that podium.
“I feel like I’m going in the best position I can be, pregnant or not. My performance should be enough."
Jodie with her Paris 2024 Paralympic teammates. Credit: ParalympicsGB
Jodie will compete individually in her first head-to-head tomorrow at 15:04pm UK time. Find out how to watch her match live by clicking the link below!
