Nina Caprez — Being an Athlete, Becoming a Mom, and Finding the Balance

Rather than giving us the play by play of her latest ascent, iconic Petzl athlete, Nina Caprez, shares her perspective as she navigates a new experience. Every parent knows, the arrival of a newborn is life-changing. Amidst the joys and challenges of new motherhood, Nina is, and always will be, a rock climber. Nina was eager to share her perspective with all (future) moms.

Trusting Yourself and Your Body

"It’s important to me to share my experience because there are many female athletes who are scared of pregnancy. We need our bodies to be strong, functioning well, free to move. And yet, pregnancy is the most nature thing in the world. The human body is miraculous, we can trust it. It's important to show that a pregnant woman is not a sick woman: we can still go outside and move around. Climbing is my sport, so I continued to do it. And when I was climbing, I felt the most at ease. Walking, for example, just didn’t appeal to me. In order to continue to climb, I adapted my approach: bigger shoes, more comfortable routes, no impacts, and I belayed infrequently, etc. Performance was not longer a factor, I just wanted to feel good. I moved gently. I was really aware of my body during pregnancy, conscious of what was growing inside me. I had an even deeper desire to take care of myself. I was less in machine mode and more in listening mode.

Staying Dynamic​

Climbing helps preserve the abdominals, which allows you to stay in shape. I felt good being outside, spending time with friends and with my partner. They all helped and supported me. I stopped climbing a few weeks before giving birth. I took time for myself and to prepare for going through labor. 

My body returned to its athletic baseline pretty quickly, in about 4 months. However, I'm feeling bloated, my muscles are no longer visible, and I find myself wondering how I’m going to get back in shape. But the body remembers. There is no secret: If we're active and take care of our bodies with a healthy lifestyle, we can find it again after pregnancy. Getting back in climbing shape is almost the easy part!

Finding Your Balance

The months during my pregnancy were the last moments that my life belonged only to me: I did what I wanted, when I wanted. After the birth, with a child, of course we have less free time, that’s the biggest challenge nowadays. Lia is 11 months old now and is healthy. I'm back to full fitness and everything's going well. However, mentally, it’s more complex to adapt to the new rhythm of my life. There are a lot of random things that depend on Lia, that limit the freedom I had before. I miss that freedom in the way I used to climb. But, I just had to readjust my expectations, otherwise I’d become frustrated. 

Before, I was totally satisfied by my life as an athlete. Now, I'm completely fulfilled by my personal life, which has become more important, logically. But I also need to find a way to thrive in my life as an athlete. That’s the challenge I'm facing right now. It’s difficult for me to be away from my family for a week, whereas before, I could take off for several weeks without hesitation. So I'm reflecting on how I can continue to be inspired, while being a good mom, and while finding fulfillment. I'm finding my new balance. And we already have lots of exciting projects coming up..."