CrossFit: Annie Thorisdottir battles post-partum depression after birth of daughter
- The 31-year-old, who has won the CrossFit Games twice, says her mood dropped substantially after giving birth
- Icelandic native, who is gearing up for the semi-finals of the 2021 season, hopes speaking out will help others cope
“I never really believed in depression,” said Thorisdottir, who has qualified for the semi-finals of the 2021 CrossFit Games. “Well, it’s not that I didn’t believe in it. It’s just that it was so foreign to me. I just didn’t understand it.”
The Icelandic native, who won the Games in 2011 and 2012, detailed her struggles in a Morning Chalk Up post about giving birth. The 31-year-old wrote about how her mood began to slip, and she was confused as to why at first.
“I don’t think I have ever gone that far down in my life. It’s a feeling I didn’t even know I could feel. The only thing that made me happy was holding Freyja and being with her.
“I kept having flashbacks to my traumatic delivery. That made it worse, I think. My midwives told me a natural delivery would be best for the baby so that’s what we did. I kept pushing and pushing and pushing. I’m not sure why the doctors let me keep trying, and maybe they shouldn’t have, but nothing is going to change what happened.”
Post-partum depression statistics tend to vary widely. The US Center for Disease Controls cites a number of studies that say the prevalence in women could be as little as one in 10 or as high as one in five. Thorisdottir spoke about returning to competition before giving birth.
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“I want to show my daughter that even though I had her, I can still continue training and my career if I want to. I want to show Freyja what it means to be strong, not just physical strength, and I believe that I am a better mother if I take care of myself, and (I’m) becoming myself again, so I will be able to give her even more.”
Thorisdottir is one of the most decorated CrossFit athletes of all time. Outside winning the event twice, she has also come second twice (in 2010 and 2014) and third once in 2017. She said she hope sharing her experience with post-partum depression helps other women get through it as well and continues to open up more of a dialogue around the mental health issue.
“Having Freyja was the most amazing feeling. Even though I sunk lower than I ever have before, I also had the highest high I have felt before. I never, not even for a moment, would have said she wasn’t worth it. Even if it had been worse for me, even if I wasn’t ever able to compete again, it was worth it.”
