• CrossFit champion Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr gave birth to her daughter Willow in May.
• The birth didn't go as planned and she ended up having a cesarean section.
• Incredibly, Toomey-Orr competed again in October, and she's gearing up for the 2024 CrossFit Games.

Like many expectant mothers, CrossFit legend Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr was told countless tales during her pregnancy about what it's like to go into labor and give birth. But nothing really prepared her for it.

This reminded her of training to compete at her first CrossFit Games in 2013, she told Business Insider almost exactly a year after she shared the news of her pregnancy with this publication on Christmas Eve 2022, sending a shockwave through the sport.

"I didn't know what to expect, I just ran with the punches and then I changed things up to see if I could do better," Toomey-Orr said of her first CrossFit games. She went on to become the "Fittest Woman on Earth" six times in a row from 2015.

That incredible legacy left fans with a lot of questions. They were, of course, happy for the celebrated Australian athlete and her husband and coach, Shane Orr, whom she lives with in Nashville.

But what did this mean for CrossFit? Who would take the crown at the 2023 Games with Toomey-Orr out of action? Would she ever return to the sport?

They didn't have to wait long for the answers.

The 30-year-old took the same pragmatic approach that saw her become a CrossFit champion towards competing again just five months after becoming a mother.

She gave birth to a baby girl, Willow, in May, and so was indeed watching from the sidelines at the CrossFit Games in August. But she shocked the sport's followers when she announced in September that she would be competing at the Rogue Invitational, a major CrossFit competition, in October.

A post shared by Rogue Invitational (@rogueinvitational)

"When I was pregnant, I did say to Shane, 'If everything goes well, I would really like to see myself back out on the competition floor at Rogue.' And a lot of people thought that that was a little bit ambitious," Toomey-Orr said.

Her self-belief was absolutely warranted, and Toomey-Orr wowed fans by placing second. Neither the training to get there while keeping her new baby as her top priority nor the criticism she has received was easy. But it has all been worth it.

"Being a mom is a thousand times more incredible and more impactful than I could have ever imagined," Toomey-Orr said. "We're just learning as we're going. It's just been such a breath of fresh air and something that Shane and I have wanted for a very long time. She is just absolutely everything that we could imagine plus more."

Toomey-Orr caught up with BI this December to talk about her birth, which didn't go as planned, rebuilding her strength while being a mother, and dealing with criticism for training during pregnancy and post-partum.

Staying active while pregnant

Toomey-Orr enjoyed being pregnant and felt comfortable throughout, despite many people telling her to expect the inverse, she said.

She stayed active throughout her pregnancy, which people are advised to do, while modifying movements and training where necessary to keep her baby safe.

"It was just so fun to actually exercise during my pregnancy," Toomey-Orr said, knowing she was lucky to have felt well enough to do so.

"It was definitely a very interesting experience trying to move around a bigger belly as it got bigger and bigger throughout the weeks," she said. "But I just absolutely loved every minute of it."

Toomey-Orr had an emergency c-section

After a relatively stress-free pregnancy, however, Willow's birth didn't go the way Toomey-Orr had hoped.

"Essentially everything that I didn't want to happen happened," she said.

"Despite what my ideal birth looked like, I was very open-minded to just make the necessary changes to deliver Willow healthy and happy," she said, which meant having a cesarean section.

"It was the best day of my life, but it definitely wasn't easy," she said.

Toomey-Orr "definitely" wants more children but she would approach a second birth differently, which is exactly how she felt after her first CrossFit Games.