Emily Batty and Adam Morka welcome first child

Congrats are in order for Emily Batty and Adam Morka, who have announced the birth of their first child, Lilly Ann.

In a post on Instagram, the former national champion and Olympian shared the news.

“Since we first conceived back in April 2024, I’ve been all in on becoming what Adam calls a ‘World Champion Mom.’ Preparing for the most natural and instinctive birth and motherhood experience. Just as nature intended. My goal: an unmedicated birth, and for a while, we were on track. I walked around for over a week at 5 cm dilated before labour finally started on Feb. 22. I was committed to letting nature take its course,” she wrote.

Batty said she made it to 10 cm, fully dilated and unmedicated. But after hours of pushing with no progress, it became clear that the birth plan needed to change.

“Lilly wasn’t transitioning down the birth canal. As the pain intensified, I began questioning how much longer I could endure it. I opted for an epidural,” she said. “This slowed contractions. This lead to Pitocin to restart them, which brought the pain back full force. Despite pushing with everything I had, Lilly’s head circumference was in the 99th percentile. And she was positioned ‘sunny-side up,’ making a natural birth nearly impossible.”

After an incredible career, Batty, of Brooklin, Ont., retired in 2023. She left a lasting impact on women’s mountain biking with impressive list of achievements.

 

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A post shared by Emily Batty (@emilybatty1)

She began racing at just 11 years old and quickly made waves in the cycling community, entering the Canada Cup Series by 2001. Throughout her career, she competed for renowned teams, including Trek World Racing and Subaru-Trek, earning accolades that showcased her talent and resilience.

Now, she has embraced an exciting new chapter—motherhood—bringing the same passion and dedication to this next stage of life. Congratulations from everyone at Canadian Cycling Magazine!