In a heartfelt show of support, Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew has spoken out in defence of Seven sports reporter Abbey Holmes, who recently received backlash online after returning to broadcasting seven weeks after welcoming her son, Braxton.
“Man is good at his job. Man has baby. Man goes back to work. Nothing unusual about that. Woman is good at her job. Woman has baby. Woman goes back to work. Cue the outrage,” Bartholomew began.
“When I saw Abbey Holmes back on our screens, I cheered. It wasn’t for the footy she was commentating, it was for the statement she was making about how working mums just make it work,” she continued, adding that unfortunately not everyone shared that enthusiasm.
Online comments quickly criticised the timing of Holmes’ return, questioning whether she should be at home instead.
“Was it the right time? Why isn’t she at home? The judgement kept coming,” Bartholomew said.
The criticism was so blatant that other prominent mothers, including influencer Steph Claire Smith, publicly defended Holmes. Smith expressed her outrage on Instagram, writing, “Honestly over people having a public opinion on what a woman should and shouldn’t do as a new mum.”
Bartholomew agreed, adding: “To all the complainants out there, most of them also women, how and when a mother chooses to return to work is really none of your business.”
Reflecting on her own experience, Bartholomew recalled the joy and empowerment she felt returning to work after having her first child.
“I adored my kids and loved being a mother but it felt so good. It gave me a break from the endless nappy changes and exhaustion, gave my husband a chance to bond with our baby and gave me back a bit of myself.”
She described how putting on “proper clothes” and a little lipstick made her feel “human again,” and marked the occasion by snapping a photo to remember the “momentous milestone” and how she “was over the moon to have nailed my first night out as a working mum.”
Bartholomew also emphasised the importance of flexibility, saying she was fortunate to return on her own terms. “Now, as a mum of two young kids, I can honestly say that coming to work every day makes me a better mother when I get home.”
“I need the space to think and have some time to myself away from cooking spag bowl, folding washing and picking up Lego. Without it, I would have gone absolutely bonkers and I know I’m not alone,” she continued.
Bartholomew pointed to wider social trends, noting Australian women are having fewer children and starting families later after years of career building.
“By the time we have kids, we have already spent many years building careers we value and done a lot of hard yakka,” she said.
“This is certainly the case for Abbey, who parlayed a storied AFLW career into success at Seven as one of our country’s most admired sports broadcasters.”
Holmes addressed the online criticism in an interview with 7NEWS.com.au.
“There’s certainly a small minority of people out there that feel that they have the right to tell you what you should be doing and how things are to be done, which is never the case,” she said.
Holmes was particularly irked by a comment dismissing her husband Keegan’s role, with someone suggesting he was merely “babysitting.”
“I’m sorry, but dads don’t babysit their own children, they’re 50 per cent of the parenting duo,” she said.
Abbey Holmes currently works two days a week and said that her colleagues at Seven Sport have been supportive, providing a private breastfeeding space at stadiums and arranging travel around her son’s routine.
Bartholomew concluded, “If only keyboard warriors were as considerate.”
Images: Instagram/ 7News
