Opals legend Cayla George reveals ‘miracle’ pregnancy

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Cayla George had no inkling she’d returned from a visit to her husband’s spiritual home in the Torres Strait with a miracle in tow, writes Michael Randall from CODE Sports.

The Opals’ three-time Olympian felt “bloody tired and sick” as she began to work her way towards a return to the court and thought she might just be low in iron.

Her daughter Pearl’s intuition wasn’t even enough to make it click.

“The week before I found out I was pregnant, I was feeling a bit bloated and blergh and I thought it was due to my period,” George said.

“But Pearl was trying to tell me.

“Three times, she said, ‘Mumma, baby belly’ and I was like, ‘Excuse me?’

“I thought she was trying to say I looked like I was having a baby because I was bloated.

“Then, once my blood test results came back, I was like, ‘Whoa, wow, did she know or was it just a coincidence?’

“I like to think she was telling me. That’s wild.”

It’s not that George thought she’d never be able to conceive – she just knew it wouldn’t be easy.

She’d “put my body through the ringer” as an elite athlete and that, combined with hormonal issues which caused an irregular menstrual cycle and difficulties ovulating had left her resigned to the notion she’d require medical assistance if she ever wanted to have a natural birth.

At 37 and, with September’s World Cup and the 2028 LA Olympics looming, George admits the idea of a natural pregnancy couldn’t have been further from her mind.

For the full story on CODE Sports Basketball, click here.