Athletes wey dey breastfeed get Olympic creche for di first time in history

“I bin cry well well on di bus ride to di Olympic Village. I bin just dey watch videos of my baby and look at her pictures. But wen I reach dia, I no fit sleep witout her.”

Wen marathon runner Aliphine Tuliamuk bin go di Tokyo Olympics for 2021, one tin bin dey clear – she no go fit travel witout her daughter Zoe wey bin dey just six months old.

Di unique set-up of di Games bin come in di midst of di Covid-19 pandemic, wit di marathon wey happun for di northern Japanese city of Sapporo.

E mean say Tuliamuk fit stay with her family – except on a distressing first night wen she bin stay for di athletes village for Tokyo wia dem bin ban children.

Di ban bin separate her from her baby wey she bin dey breastfeed.

“Di first time I bin eva sleep witout Zoe na wen I bin dey for di village. Zoe and my husband bin stay for hotel. E bin dey really hard,” Tuliamuk tell BBC Sport Africa.

“My breasts bin swell”. I bin dey pump am and dey also tink ‘My baby no even dey here wit me’ – I call dem and she dey cry, losing her mind becos she no understand why her mother no dey dia wit her..”

Na why di Kenya-born American runner welcome di new provisions for nursing mothers and child carers for Paris 2024, including a dedicated space for children for di athletes village.

“I dey happy well well say in only four years from wen I no fit dey wit my baby, e don change now to wia dem don provide facilities for dem. E dey veri incredible.”

Wetin Paris 2024 go offer nursing mothers and child carers?

Di issue of wen to stop breastfeeding na one wey Tuliamuk, like many sporting mothers, get to wrestle wit.

Di World Health Organisation (WHO) and Unicef recommend say make mothers give children exclusive breastfeeding for first six months of life and continue to breastfeed and give dem adequate food until dem reach two years or beyond.

“I bin wan breastfeed for three or four months wey for still give me about two and a half months bifor di Olympics,” Tuliamuk explain.

“But once my daughter arrive, I realise say to stop breastfeeding bin no dey on my cards. Na sometin I love so much.”

Dis kain of experiences don make di International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board and Paris 2024 to create a dedicated space for children for di first time in Olympic history.

“We dey take a lot of lessons from Tokyo and di previous Games and we want to constantly improve on di athlete experience,” Emma Terho, chair of di IOC athletes’ commission, tell BBC Africa.

“We get more and more athletes wey get very young children, and mothers wey dey kontinu dia career quite soon afta dem born pikin.

“Dem fit concentrate well to compete well if dem get di facility wey go allow dem born pikin with a caregiver wey dey close by for di Olympic Games.”

So, wetin nursing mothers and child carers expect?

Di creche go give space and privacy to breastfeeding mothers wey go fit pump and store dia milk. Place go also dey wey dem go fit change nappy and play areas.

Overnight accommodation go also dey available outside di village, if National Olympic Committees (NOCs) agree to fund am.

Terho, wey be former Winter Olympian, say a booking system go dey for di pipo wey need am well-well.

“We bin wan make sure say space wia di competitors fit stay go dey, a place wey dey quiet and get privacy, and dem fit still dey able to focus on probably di highlight of dia career,” she tok.

But what about oda Olympic areas?

Tuliamuk say di Sapporo marathon site in 2021 bin no dey set up for nursing mothers.

Afta a late change to di start time becos of di heat, she bin no fit pump out her milk for di hotel.

“I bin go di starting line wia we bin get a tent for Team USA, but place bin no dey to breastfeed or pump,” di 35-year-old tok.

“I for go di bathroom to pump, but I just run out of time.

“E for dey nice if a private tent bin dey but nobody bin dey tink say athletes fit dey wey go wan breastfeed.”

A strong drive for change

Alysia Montano running at 34 weeks pregnant in a national race in Sacramentoat the US — Alysia Montano, who advocates for sporting women, made headlines in 2014 when she ran at the US Nationals at 34 weeks pregnant

Terho say collabo between di IOC athletes’ commission and di Paris 2024 equivalent help get dis initiative to start, with now-retired 200m Olympic champion, Allyson Felix of di United States, “a driving force”.

French judo star Clarisse Agbegnenou, wey be two-time Olympic champion,bin don also advocate for beta provisions for her home Olympics, wen she bin dey breast-feed her baby, Athena.

“E dey pain me to hear pipo tok say ‘Na only one tin we fit do at a time’, ‘You no go fit evolve for your job’ or ‘You no go fit become high-level athlete’ sake of say you be a mother”, Agbegnenou told Olympics.com.

Dem no dey alone in dia push for change.

American middle-distance runner Alysia Montano na di founder of di group &Mother, set up to advocate for beta conditions, contracts and sponsorship. Felix dey for di group’s board of directors.

Montano bin famously run for di 2014 USA Nationals in Sacramento while she bin dey eight months pregnant.

“I bin feel say I neva seen wetin e looks like to be a woman for my career, to visibly see her with pregnancy, having her babies and kontinu her career, so I go just do am,” Montano tell BBC Sport Africa.

A few months later, tied to a contract wey go make her lose her financial support if she need to take any maternity leave, dem bin force Montano to tape up her abdomen afta giving birth so she fit kontinu to train.

To find ways to kontinu to breastfeed wen she dey travel na also a big challenge.

“I win nationals at six and 10 months postpartum [afta she born],” she explain.

“I win a World Championship gold medal. We bin break an American record. I bin figure out ways to pump my breast milk, pack am and send am back to my daughter in di United States wen I go travel.

“And I realise say no system wey dey actually support dis. Dis na why e dey so difficult.”

With her own experiences for mind, plus di experiences of di women wey she dey supports, Montano say Paris 2024 don offer a step in di right direction.

“E don tey wey we be super loud advocates of wetin we need, with our goals of supporting all Olympic athletes, to know dis na a major stage for di entire world to see how dem dey do am and wetin di blueprint of success fit look like.”

Na di first for Olympic history – but e dey enough?

One of di biggest challenges for nursing mothers wey wan use di overnight accommodation go be to convince dia NOCs to pay for am.

Terho wey dey di IOC say di organisation dey chook eye for dis future Olympics, but dem first need to monitor di take-up in Paris.

For campaigners like Montano, dem need to do more ahead of Los Angeles 2028.

“I go like to see say stadiums dey safe with respectable accommodations for breastfeeding mothers on di track, in our warm-up area, having a space with electricity to dey able to pump your breast milk and know say a safe space dey wey you fit store am,” Montano tok.

“Na still a privilege to afford a nanny or somebodi wey fit stay with you for ova 14 days overseas.

“We go love to see some of di work we dey do with national governing bodies to support families during dis time.”

Tuliamuk, wey miss out on Paris 2024 through injury, dey also look forward to LA 2028, she dey hope say she go get di support she need if she go born anoda pikin by den.

“To born pikin dia go makes sure say notin change and you fit be di best version of you,” she tok.

“We don see wetin mothers fit do wen dem give dem 100 % support. Make we kontinu to do am.”