Returning to work after having a baby is a big transition, but for a high-profile sports broadcaster working in the fast-paced globe-trotting world of Formula 1, the challenge comes with an added layer of intensity. F1 TV presenter Laura Winter tells The Edit how she navigates the emotional and practical realities of new motherhood while stepping back into the spotlight. From the early weeks with baby Alfie to the pull between career ambition and maternal instinct, Laura shares how she finds balance, redefines success, and embraces a whole new version of herself.
As a successful sports broadcaster, did you always plan to return to work after Alfie was born?
This was always the plan, for a few reasons. Firstly and most practically as a freelancer, if I don’t work I don’t earn, and statutory maternity pay is a relatively very small amount that simply wouldn’t cover the bills!
Secondly, I love my job. It forms a huge part of my identity, who I have become as a person, the friends I have made and the lifestyle I lead, as much as it is a career. To walk away from that was never an option.
I’ve also worked incredibly hard over the years to get to the position I am now in and could never have walked away or shut the door on the life I have created for myself. I am finding it so important to find a balance in motherhood, being Alfie’s mum and being Laura.
Thirdly, as desperately hard as it is already proving to be apart from Alfie, I hope in time he will be very proud of what I do watching from home and that I am setting an example to him that women and especially mums are still capable of doing incredible things.
Looking back, was there a difference between how you imagined maternity leave would feel and what it was actually like once you’d had Alfie?
The first six to eight weeks were a totally joyful exhausting and emotional blur! I sort of knew what to expect but nothing can quite prepare you for it. There aren’t words! There is sleep deprivation, pain and a lot of emotion.
Breastfeeding, even though he had a good latch from the off and is going well, is unbelievably tough and draining at times. I had mastitis three times too! The rollercoaster is WILD, the ups are so high and then the lows can feel crushing.
Also what did I do before he was here? I have no time now!
Overall though, and something you can never know or imagine, is the intensity and depth of feeling of love for your child. It’s indescribable, overrides absolutely everything and makes every difficult moment worth it.
How did you feel in the weeks leading up to your return to F1 presenting?
So nervous and so excited! Returning to work even after a break is daunting enough but to do so after I have experienced such a seismic, transformative shift physically, mentally and emotionally is another thing altogether.
I am so excited to feel a little like me again, doing the job I love, albeit as a new version of myself. Hopefully I have the brain power despite the sleep deprivation to think on my feet as is required in live TV!
I totally feel women can have it all, just not at the same time. The guilt and sadness I feel at leaving Alfie even for a few hours is an intense, almost primal feeling and one I will have to work hard to reconcile with! Luckily he is able to come to a fair few trips with me - family adventures I cannot wait for.
What’s surprised you most about yourself during this transition, either emotionally or professionally?
You can never quite prepare for the depth of love you will feel - it knows no bounds. I have an innate instinct to care for him, far above my own needs.
Before Alfie arrived, I had planned my work schedule and was able to easily compartmentalise the two. I love travelling and I love my job. While those things are still true, the need to be with him and the intense sadness at missing any moment of his life while working is a much stronger feeling than I could have imagined. My work is no longer as much of a number one priority.
Do you feel there’s been a shift in your identity since becoming a parent, and do you think this will change the way you approach your work?
As mentioned above, work no longer feels quite as important a priority. I still take it incredibly seriously and will always strive to be the absolute best I can be, but knowing I can give 100% of myself to it and then come home and take on this incredible new role is a wonderful prospect.
It gives you an added sense of perspective too. Where once I may beat myself up if I felt a broadcast wasn’t as slick or as close to perfect as it could be, now when I walk through the door, Alfie immediately needs me, unconditionally, and doesn’t care that I stumbled over a word!
I have a tendency to be an awful perfectionist with my work, so I hope while I still fully enjoy and appreciate the opportunities work gives me, the pressure and gravitas of each occasion will not be quite so all-encompassing and I can be a bit kinder to myself.
Have you noticed any new strengths or skills since becoming a mum that you now bring into your working life?
Event life, jetlag and my travel schedule mean I have often been able to adapt my sleep - or lack of - ahead of work, but having a baby has taken this to her whole new level! Getting a few hours of broken sleep feels totally manageable now.
My organisation and logistical skills have also been enhanced in trying to do just about anything with a baby in tow - or in leaving the house without him, ensuring there is enough milk left behind and bottles sterilised, to making sure I have my pumps too.
Plus, I’ve learned how efficient and focused I can be – when you have a 30 minute stint between feeds or naps to get things done, be it work, or sorting laundry, or getting a quick workout in, you get them done!
Finally my capacity to care and love has deepened beyond measure. I am no longer my number one priority, and that has only enhanced who I am and how I live my life.
You’re planning to travel overseas with little Alfie to present the Canadian Grand Prix. Does this feel daunting with a young baby and what are your coping methods?
Canada will be his first long haul flight! He has done two trips to Italy so far, and he coped so well. He was a legend on the flights, feeding and sleeping mostly and hopefully that continues across the Atlantic.
We feed on take-off and landing to help the pressure in his ears, feed on tap during the flight and double and triple check nappies to avoid any blowouts (not forgetting spare clothes for us all in hand luggage!). As he gets older we will also bring some high contrast toys to keep him busy.
For such a little guy, Alfie sure comes with a lot of luggage! We bring his car seat and his travel pram – the Silver Cross Nia – which has been an absolute god send! Not only is it cabin approved so we can wheel it right on to the plane and into the overhead cabin, it comes with a fold up carrycot – which is perfect for Alfie travelling at three months. It also folds one-handed - ideal when balancing other bags and him in the airport. It is so lightweight and smooth to wheel around in the airports and abroad too.
I have done so much research on the best travelling tips and while I’m sure we have lots to learn, I feel relatively prepared for our Canadian adventure.
What does “success” look like for you now compared to before you became a mum?
I have always been very ambitious and competitive with myself; I’ve constantly wanted more - more work, more money, to be the best. That ambition hasn’t dimmed, but it has shifted.
Now I want to not only be the best broadcaster I can be, but also to be the best mother, and achieving a balance my family are happy with is what truly matters most. Happiness, and all the ingredients for it, is the true measure of success and being a woman and mother that Alfie and my partner Louie are proud of would be my greatest achievement.
Do you have any advice for other new mums preparing to return to work?
I am very much still working through so many feelings in this. But here are some of the things I am telling myself.
Firstly, DO IT! Find a balance that is comfortable for you. It if feels too much, maybe it is. Be kind to yourself and give yourself a little grace – motherhood is the most incredible transformation and it’s more than OK not to be the person you were before.
It’s also OK to enjoy having time to yourself, to work again. The guilt and sadness in missing your babies will be intense, but I hope mums heading back to work can set a wonderful example for their children.
