Climbing After Having a Baby: Can You Still Be You?

Returning to climbing after having a baby is about more than rebuilding strength. For Khairena, it also means discovering how something she loves fits into life as a mum. Six months after welcoming her son Ewan, Khairena shares her experience of getting back to bouldering. Alongside our conversation, we join her, Tom and Ewan at the climbing centre to see what a session looks like now—from baby carriers and bags to time on the wall. We talk about what climbing meant before motherhood, the challenges of returning, and what being “back” really means when life has changed. You don’t have to be a climber to connect with this story. If you’re finding space for your own interests after becoming a parent, returning to sport after pregnancy, or wondering how to reconnect with something you love, there’s a bigger conversation here about motherhood, identity and making it work as a family. What’s the thing that makes you feel like you—and how has becoming a parent changed your relationship with it? Let us know in the comments. Subscribe to Fat Old Climber for honest stories about climbing, fitness and finding your own way forward. This is Khairena’s personal experience, not a postpartum exercise programme or a timetable anyone else needs to follow. #ClimbingAfterPregnancy #Motherhood #WomenWhoClimb #LifeAfterBaby #Bouldering