Post by Admin on Aug 25, 2021 20:38:28 GMT
Breanna Stewart helped lead the U.S. women's basketball team to gold at the Tokyo Olympics. Then, she had a life-changing flight to catch.
Two days after the victory, she welcomed her first baby with wife Marta Xargay Casademont. Ruby Mae Stewart Xargay was born Aug. 9 via surrogate, the couple first exclusively shared with PEOPLE.
Stewart, 26, tells PEOPLE she placed her gold medal next to her daughter shortly after she was born.
"It was a surreal moment," says the WNBA Seattle Storm power forward. "You don't see a lot of female athletes, or women's basketball players, being able to be at their highest and also be able to start a family, or have a baby."
"And to be able to do that with Marta, with Ruby, it makes me at peace with everything that's going on," she adds.
The challenges of being a working mom started almost immediately, as Stewart jumped back into the Storm season shortly after Ruby's birth. "Going on the road just a week after she was born, I was like, 'This obviously sucks,' " she said. "But I know that she's being well taken care of with Marta, with her family and with my mom, and I make her send me pictures and videos all the time."
Stewart's team won the 2020 WNBA championship, and she was named the MVP in the 2020 WNBA Finals and this year's inaugural WNBA Commissioner's Cup — all of that just in the past two seasons.
While it's not easy to balance basketball stardom and new motherhood, it's worth it, says Stewart.
"I was able to compete for a gold medal, win a gold medal and come home and be there for my family, and now, show Ruby the success that she can have if she wants to go into sports, or go into whatever," Stewart says.
Two days after the victory, she welcomed her first baby with wife Marta Xargay Casademont. Ruby Mae Stewart Xargay was born Aug. 9 via surrogate, the couple first exclusively shared with PEOPLE.
Stewart, 26, tells PEOPLE she placed her gold medal next to her daughter shortly after she was born.
"It was a surreal moment," says the WNBA Seattle Storm power forward. "You don't see a lot of female athletes, or women's basketball players, being able to be at their highest and also be able to start a family, or have a baby."
"And to be able to do that with Marta, with Ruby, it makes me at peace with everything that's going on," she adds.
The challenges of being a working mom started almost immediately, as Stewart jumped back into the Storm season shortly after Ruby's birth. "Going on the road just a week after she was born, I was like, 'This obviously sucks,' " she said. "But I know that she's being well taken care of with Marta, with her family and with my mom, and I make her send me pictures and videos all the time."
Stewart's team won the 2020 WNBA championship, and she was named the MVP in the 2020 WNBA Finals and this year's inaugural WNBA Commissioner's Cup — all of that just in the past two seasons.
While it's not easy to balance basketball stardom and new motherhood, it's worth it, says Stewart.
"I was able to compete for a gold medal, win a gold medal and come home and be there for my family, and now, show Ruby the success that she can have if she wants to go into sports, or go into whatever," Stewart says.