Liz Young: Playing through pregnancy and post-birth plans
How did your pregnancy affect your game?
When I played in the Ladies Scotland Open it was my first competitive round for a while, so I started to struggle on the last day. It was also raining and that didn’t make it any easier! I couldn’t practise as much because I find being on my feet very tiring. My back and feet start to hurt and my ankles swell. I just had to try and save my energy for the tournaments and take it easy the rest of the time.
Why did you choose to carry on playing for so long?
Some people stop playing early because they’ve lost their balance and their centre of gravity has shifted too much. But then others carry on until they are seven months pregnant, so I knew it could be done. My midwife just says to keep fit and as long as I haven’t got any pains I’m fine to carry on playing. I’m just going to let my body tell me when I need to stop. The Ricoh was my last competitive round because the next event is too close to my due date in October. But I think I’ll still keep playing socially just to make sure I keep active.
When will you return to the Ladies European Tour?
I’m going to see how it goes. This is my first baby so I have no idea what it’s going to be like after the birth. But I plan on coming back in May if everything is going fine and I still want to compete. With the LET I can play nine events next year while I’m on maternity leave.
Why do you like being on tour?
I just love competing and playing golf. The LET is special because it includes lots of nationalities and we all get on like a big family. Getting to travel around the world is also lovely.
Will the travelling be harder when you have a baby?
Definitely, and I don’t think I’ll be taking the baby with me, I think that will be pushing it a bit! But I’m sure that leaving it behind will be difficult as well. At the moment it’s all a bit unknown for me, so I’ll just take it one step at a time.
