The NWSL has a record number of active mothers (28) rostered this season. The figure represents a shift in support and understanding around pregnancy, postpartum and parenting. The Athletic explores these topics and more in a series devoted to motherhood and soccer. When the Chicago Stars traveled to Spain for preseason, forward Ryan Gareis brought with her a special guest: her one-year-old son, Crew. “It feels like it’s such a cheat code,” Gareis says over video call, with a big smile. The way she sees it, she’s “living this dream life.”Gareis is one of at least 28 moms currently in the National Women’s Soccer League, with that number steadily growing. This season is among the most moms and moms-to-be the league has ever seen in its 14-year history — and the trend likely won’t be changing any time soon.The increase is no coincidence either. It follows historic collective bargaining agreements for the U.S. women’s national team and in the league, when players secured the resources necessary to start families in their primes. It also follows an early generation of mothers who brought visibility. Players such as Angel City’s Sydney Leroux, or retired stars like Alex Morgan, Crystal Dunn and Lauren Holiday.“Being a mom was always something I wanted to be, and then being a professional athlete was always something I wanted to be,” Gareis, 27, tells The Athletic. “I realized how possible it was because of those people who came before me and did it with such grace, and the way the league and clubs have supported it, it started to make it a more real possibility. “Honestly, since the second I found out I was pregnant, and then returning to play, I have felt nothing but supported.”Ryan Gareis walks on the field with her son after a NWSL match. (Trinity Machan / Getty Images)Resources for players in the NWSL were cemented in the league’s first collective bargaining agreement in 2022, which guaranteed players parental leave. The protections and resources strengthened as years went on – and formally, again, when the league renegotiated its current contract with the player in 2024, which runs through 2030.NWSL players are offered pregnancy protection and parental leave. One key stipulation specifies that, if a player’s contract expires during their leave, clubs must provide a minimum 30-day training camp opportunity to help players return to competition. Players are also offered childcare stipends and travel support and resources to grow their families through fertility support.This latest CBA also notably eliminated all drafts, offering players more autonomy and agency over their careers. Previously, players could be traded without consent, sometimes leading to cross-country moves away from places where they were putting down roots.It was through free agency that Gareis found herself leaving Houston Dash to sign a three-year contract with the Stars. This was a homecoming for the Naperville, Illinois, native, who would now be closer to her support system as she and her partner, Pat Connaughton, a guard for the Charlotte Hornets, raise their son.“Growing up coming to the (Chicago) Red Stars games, I always thought, as a little girl, if I could be on that field as a professional athlete, I would feel like I made it,” Gareis said. “That was heightened when I had baby Crew. I realized how much that ‘village’ is needed, and not being around family, and them not really getting to be as involved in his life as I want them to be (while I was in Houston), was a big part of my decision.”