“It’s 2021, let’s make working moms normal.”
An athlete has revealed she is forced to choose between going to the Olympics or being a breastfeeding mother.
Kimberley Gaucher, a basketball player from Canada, said her dream was to represent her country at the Olympics but she may not get to do so as she is currently breastfeeding her daughter Sophie.
Last year, her team qualified for Tokyo, but due to the strict rules in place, she cannot bring her baby girl with her.
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“Tokyo has said no friends, no family, no exceptions,” she said in an Instagram video.
As the team will be competing for 28 days, she can’t produce enough milk to feed her daughter until then as well as to stock up enough to last the baby while she’s gone.
“Media are all flying in from around the world, Japanese fans are going to be in attendance, the arenas are going to be half full, but I will not have access to my daughter?” Kimberley continued.
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She also revealed she tried looking into other alternatives such as shipping milk home when she’s in Tokyo, but she ran into “complications.” It doesn’t seem to be a very reliable method.
Worrying about how your baby is being fed is the last thing any working mother needs while so far from home, so Kimberley is appealing to the internet to raise awareness and help.
“Let’s see if we can make a difference,” she said. “It’s 2021, let’s make working moms normal.”
