'I wanted to prove you can do anything after pregnancy'
A jiu-jitsu athlete says people doubted her return to the sport after she had a baby.
Bea Fernandes was keen to show others she could go back into competitive jiu-jitsu after the birth of her daughter [Bea Fernandes] A jiu-jitsu champion said she was determined to prove people who said she could not return to the sport after becoming a mother wrong. Bea Fernandes runs Roots Gym at Murrayside Youth and Community Centre in Nacton, Suffolk, alongside her partner Ben Wyard. Fernandes, who is a former European Jiu-Jitsu champion, gave birth to their first child in September 2024, but said she faced tough comments from people telling her it would not be easy to get back into competitions.
However, just four months after welcoming their daughter, she was back competing and is now balancing motherhood with managing the gym. The NHS advised mothers who had natural births to wait until they have had the six-week checkup before starting high-impact exercise. For more complicated deliveries and caesareans, recoveries can be longer, and mums should talk to a health visitor or GP first.
Fernandes won the Jiu-Jitsu European Championship in 2022, representing Portugal [Bea Fernandes/Roots Gym] "I had a hard time with the pregnancy and some complications," Fernandes, who moved from Portugal to Suffolk more than 10 years ago, explained. "I had an emergency C-section, but I was so focused on competing. "When I was pregnant, I thought, I need to come back as soon as possible, and people would say, 'No, it's not going to be like that, you're not going to be back that easily'.
"It was bringing me down, so I needed to [prove] them wrong. Four months after giving birth, I was already competing at the Europeans. " Fernandes' partner said she was a great role model for other women and their students [Bea Fernandes] Fernandes is now close to competing in the same division she was in prior to her pregnancy.