As the first British gymnast to return to elite trampolining after having a baby, Laura Gallagher knew she’d have her work cut out. But incredibly, just nine months after giving birth to daughter Edie in January 2023, Laura was back competing at the World Trampoline Championships. A sporty kid with parents willing to drive her and her brother wherever they needed to be for practice, Laura first tried trampoline aged five and enjoyed “literally every sport,” before focussing on trampoline from 15.
“I wanted to see how far I could go,” she says. The dedication paid off, with Laura, 35, reaching the top of her game, representing Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Consulting with her team during her pregnancy, Laura realised prioritising pelvic health would be vital if she was to return to the sport she loved.
Stress incontinence is often an issue for athletes in high-impact sports, with trampolining a particular risk as gymnasts put 16 times their body weight through the trampoline when they land. A 2021 study in the International Urogynecology Journal on 319 gymnasts and cheerleaders found that two third of them suffered from incontinence. But when she was starting out, says Laura, it was something that was laughed off.
“As a teenager I trained with girls who were older than me and grew up with them joking about it. It wasn’t ever taken seriously,” says the athlete from Somerset. “I knew it was a problem because I’d gone to competitions and seen it happe.