Pregnant soccer star Sydney Leroux shuts down criticism

Now in her third trimester, soccer star Sydney Leroux won’t be joining the U.S. Women’s Olympic Soccer Team at next month’s Olympics in Rio, Brazil. That’s not to say that pregnancy has slowed the pro athlete down much, though.

Since announcing in January that she and her husband Dom Dwyer are expecting their first child, Sydney has been sharing pregnancy updates with her almost 1 million Instagram followers. Her feed has included adorable bump photos, a gender reveal – it’s a boy! – and even an ultrasound image. It’s also included shots of Sydney working out, going for runs, diving into pools, showing off her ball juggling skills and tubing with her hubby.

It’s those last pictures that seem to have sparked a controversial response. While most were very supportive, some commenters felt compelled to warn Sydney about supposedly risky behaviors during pregnancy (her baby will be “born with deficiencies,” reads one).

Many moms would have chosen to just ignore the critics, even if their comments were hurtful. Sydney Leroux decided to very publicly shut them down.

Sharing a profile shot of her growing bump, she wrote:

“It’s unfortunate that I have to say something but after a number of comments like: ‘you’re going to give birth to a dead fetus’ or ‘you just killed your baby’ I have to remind you that this is MY body. MY body is the body that is creating life. MY body is the one that has stretch marks and cellulite and varicose veins and sore hips and back pain that runs down my legs. MY body is the body that is tired and sore and emotional and the happiest it’s ever been. So if I want to jump in a pool, go on a tube and slowly ride around with my husband, dance like an idiot or work out I am absolutely going to. Leave your awful comments to yourself and let me enjoy MYSELF and MY body the way I want to.”

It’s unlikely Sydney is going to change the minds of people who wrote such horrible and cruel things. It’s unlikely, really, that those people were genuinely concerned or shocked. They were probably just trying to provoke a response. Mission accomplished, I guess.

Still, I admire Sydney for fighting back. Her unapologetic response will be celebrated by every expectant mom (and there are plenty of them) who have felt judged or criticized for the decisions they’ve made while pregnant. More than that, she’s showing that pregnancy can be active, it can be fierce, it can be fun – aches and pains and varicose veins and all.

Were you active throughout your pregnancy?

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