NASCAR Star Natalie Decker Opens Up On Pregnancy Struggles: ‘I Feel So Guilty’

Natalie Decker has become a standout driver, not just for her on-track performances, but also for her open discussion about the challenges of pregnancy while managing a public career. Taking a pause from her racing career in 2024 to embrace motherhood, Decker has opened up on the physical and mental trials she faces during this huge change in her life.

Decker, known for her part-time NASCAR career since 2018 and for bravely battling rheumatoid arthritis, has always been a formidable presence in racing. This year brought big changes as she announced in August that she and her husband, Derek Lemke, were expecting their first child. While Decker’s pregnancy is the beginning of a new chapter, it has been a difficult one, as she has admitted openly on social media through Instagram, her platform of choice.

Decker’s decision to step away from the racetrack in 2024, after competing in just two races at Daytona and Charlotte, was down to her pregnancy. Yet, it’s not the absence from racing she finds most challenging but rather the physical and emotional toll associated with growing a human.

Navigating her pregnancy journey alongside her fans, she recently spoke up about her struggles.

“I feel so guilty even saying this, but I’m so over being pregnant. All my symptoms from my first trimester have come back,” she said. “All my symptoms from my first trimester have come back. The nauseousness, the fatigue, the migraines, I could go on and on and on, but the biggest thing I’m struggling with is mentally. Just feeling good about myself and feeling like myself.”

Beyond the physical symptoms, the NASCAR driver has been vocal about her mental health concerns during this period.

“I do not feel like myself at all and I do not like looking at myself in the mirror,” Decker revealed. “Don’t like the way I look, and I could talk for days about that. I know with pregnancy, you’re going to get swollen, but I didn’t know how swollen.

“My feet grew so much, I used to be a youth, child size 3, now I barely fit into a woman’s size 6. There is not one part of my body right now, that is not swollen. It is so crazy, I did not expect that.”

These admissions have struck a chord within the NASCAR community, where Decker stands as one of the few female drivers. Her honesty has shed light on the often-unspoken challenges female athletes endure, drawing a wave of support from her fans.

While she pushes through these challenges, she remains focussed on her sport in other ways. She continues to use the iRacing simulator, despite its physical demands.

“I planned to do maternity photos by now… I just have not committed because I don’t like the way I look,” she confessed.