S18 Ep5: REBECCA ADLINGTON: Just keep swimming: on parenting through loss and teaching kids to swim

On this week’s Netmums podcast, Louise Burke and JB Gill are joined by olympic gold medallist and mum of three, Rebecca Adlington, for a very honest conversation about parenting, baby loss and learning to keep going. Rebecca talks openly about experiencing two miscarriages, the counselling that helped her and her husband through it, and the anxiety that can come with expecting a rainbow baby. She also shares the small things that helped her family cope – including giving her bump a nickname, ‘jellytot’, so the whole family could bond with the baby. Alongside the emotional side of parenting, Rebecca also explains why learning to swim is a life skill, not just a sport – and why she believes three to five years old is the ideal age for children to start proper swimming lessons. The episode also covers the real challenges parents face around swimming – from nervous children and reluctant swimmers, to the moment many girls start to feel self-conscious about their bodies in swimwear as they get older. In this episode we talk about: • pregnancy after loss and the reality of a rainbow baby • how partners can support mums through miscarriage and grief • why counselling helped Rebecca and her husband process loss • the importance of teaching children to swim • the best age to start swimming lessons for kids • helping children build confidence in the water • when body image can start to affect girls and swimming This episode of The Netmums Podcast is brought to you by Aldi Mamia . Read more expert help on Netmums.com and join the conversation on socials @Netmums . JB and Louise also want to hear your parenting stories, questions and dilemmas! So please share them with us at thenetmumspodcast@netmums.com and we can bring you into the conversations that matter on The Netmums Podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Netmums: backed by experts, trusted by parents. Proudly produced by Decibelle Creative / @decibelle_creative

You can listen to S18 Ep5: REBECCA ADLINGTON: Just keep swimming: on parenting through loss and teaching kids to swim online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

S18 Ep5: REBECCA ADLINGTON: Just keep swimming: on parenting through loss and teaching kids to swim is an episode from Sweat, Snot & Tears.

This episode is 56:02 long.

This episode was published on Mar 10, 2026.

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