“The postpartum depression lasted three months. The training helped me. ” Conversation with Ulyana Nigmatullina

Ulyana Nigmatullina Last February, she gave birth to her daughter Aina and since September, she has accompanied her to biathlon competitions. Her mother and mother-in-law also travel with the athlete, and her teammates from the Tyumen region team help carry bags with items from city to city. Ilshat’s husband is also nearby, as he works in the Tatarstan team.

In an interview with , Ulyana told how she struggled with depression after giving birth for three months, explained why she could not stay at home for a long time, and also admitted that she did not yet know in whom she was seen. the future.

“I was afraid to be at home.”

— How difficult is it to travel with your child to places where biathlon stages take place?

– It has become more difficult. I feel like I’m taking the whole house with me (Laughs). This applies both to the things I carry with me and to those of my loved ones: they are always nearby.

— A biathlete’s luggage is already very important, and then there is the children’s belongings. How are you coping?

— My regional team helps me. The guys on the bus carry our bags. This includes a stroller, portable crib and toys. Besides, there are not many of them. I don’t know how, but I get up to six bags (Laughs).

— Your mother and Ilshata’s mother are also traveling with you. Overall, everyone is now working for your bottom line. Does this add responsibilities?

– Yes, but we immediately discussed everything. I warned that there would be a lot of moving, everyone agreed. And they did it right away, because everyone understood that I was going to continue my career. In fact, it turned out to be more difficult than we imagined: it was not so easy for mothers to adapt to such a schedule when they previously lived at home all the time. It was easy for me to leave the house and change locations every week, and vice versa for them.

— How many places has Aina already visited?

– So… his first flight took place in a month. And almost every month she visits new places. She tolerates flights calmly and sleeps most of the time.

— In Ufa, you rented an apartment alone and lived separately. Is it a big financial burden?

— I have to spend a lot, but these are my family circumstances. Lifestyle has value, so everything seems valuable. I don’t regret having continued my career, having had to invest.

— Did I understand correctly that you really had a choice: to pursue your career or not?

– Yes, there were such thoughts. Many years ago, I thought I wouldn’t continue my career if I had a child. Many told me they thought the same thing. But sport is addictive. It was difficult for me to give up this way of life, this borderline work, the events and the people. There is a feeling of incompleteness, so I would like to look at my body after such drastic changes.

— Do you already feel the changes?

– While I feel weak (Laughs). I expect that by the end of the season, changes will come through training.

— When did you realize you wanted to pursue your career? Right after Aina was born?

“I realized I wanted to continue when I found myself at home within four walls. I’m very used to moving and haven’t lived in my own home for this long in a long time. That’s when I realized how hard my mother’s job was. And it seems to me that this is often underestimated. I often hear others say, “Raising children is a no-brainer. » But in reality, it’s a full-time job. I am very grateful to my family who gave me the opportunity to pursue a career. I was also scared by the routine at home and the loss of my usual way of life.

— So it is more difficult for you to raise a child at home than when traveling?

– Yes yes.

“The fear of losing the old life gave results”

— Were you ready for the role of mother?

— I was ready to receive information, after watching a bunch of lectures. But it was a surprise to me that it was physically difficult. I thought I could easily cope with the lack of sleep, but it proved difficult.

— Was there postpartum depression?

– Yes. Several people around me have become mothers and, according to my calculations, depression is not a rare phenomenon.

– Among the symptoms – irritability, anxiety, guilt?

– Always in a bad mood, despite the fact that it is a happy event. There is total dissonance in my head, hormones are affecting me.

– How long did it last?

— About three months.

– And how to get out of it? Maybe you have some advice?

— The training helped me. They were the ones who took me out of the routine I had. This time I did not resort to the help of psychologists.

— It turns out you needed to get back to your usual routine?

– Yes, because the fear of losing the old life had such an effect.

— Could this problem come back to you later? Or have you sorted everything out?

“I don’t think I succeeded.” Everything went away by itself. If I stay home the problem might come back.

—Did Ilshat help during this time?

– Certainly. Especially the first days, when it was physically difficult for me. There was absolutely no strength.

— Do you think that you and your husband take on the role of parents?

– Every mother is the best mother for her child. Psychologically, I’m coping because I try to follow the advice of specialists. It’s very interesting for me to live this period with Aina. I go back to my childhood, and it doesn’t seem so far away.

“I often ask myself a question about the future and I can’t answer it”

— This summer, you changed regions to settle in the Tyumen region. Everything is fine?

– Yes. I am happy to be part of this team. We have a very proactive head coach Maxim Vladimirovich Kugaevsky, who always stands by the athletes.

— Don’t you miss Udmurtia?

– No time to get bored. A conscious approach. I hope that the change of location will give impetus to development.

— After the Beijing Olympics, Udmurtia paid you 800,000 rubles, while other regions awarded millions to athletes. Your comments on this amount aroused great resonance. How long did this last?

— The management didn’t ask me any questions. There was an outcry on social media, but there were no consequences for me. And it would be strange if they were.

— Finally, were these funds paid?

– Yes.

— Did you buy anything memorable?

– No, it was just a way to maintain life.

—Has the resentment you spoke of gone?

– Certainly. I forgot about this situation a long time ago. That’s all that happened. Thank you for that.

— How do you see your own future?

— I often ask myself this question and I can’t answer it. I am interested in the field of sports management. I studied at the Olympic University during my maternity leave. I am also interested in the fields of hospitality and tourism, but at the moment I cannot imagine who I will be. I love the region. Balancing career and motherhood is an urgent issue. I would like to understand how successful women deal with this. For now it is a mystery to me and the future is a difficult question. That’s probably why I always do sports (Laughs).

— “Open microphone” section. What else would you like to say?

— Before our meeting, I listened to a lecture by a child psychologist. I would like to talk about motherhood. I have help in the form of mothers and husbands, but I am amazed by women who raise a child alone. Sometimes it happens that the family is complete, but all the responsibilities fall solely on the shoulders of the woman. I’ve thought about this several times and I don’t understand why there is such a bias? The question of equality worries me. I would like to thank those around me for their help. I hope that every woman will have the opportunity to realize her career, combining it with motherhood.

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