Olympic swimmer Nathan Adrian has recently revealed that he was concerned about his wife Hallie’s health while she was pregnant during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In a new cover story for Parents’ July 2021 issue, the 32-year-old said he was worried about Hallie while they were expecting their first baby together.
Adrian and Hallie welcomed their daughter Parker Jacquelyn on February 9.
Adrian says, “I’ve always been a germophobe. I wore a mask on a plane before all this, so for me, having a wife pregnant through it all was absolutely terrifying.”
Hallie adds, “Definitely stressful. Being pregnant is considered a comorbidity, so I didn’t see many friends during those nine months. I was so scared of getting sick and I was nervous about Nathan getting sick. And the delivery!”
“Nathan was able to be at the hospital with me, but my mom couldn’t be there,” she continues. “And then you have the fear that the baby could get it from the nurses or the doctors.”
Adrian also explains that he has a newfound appreciation for his parents.
“My parents win a team-effort award,” he says. “They took turns driving me to early-morning and evening practices, and when I got home there would always be a home-cooked meal on the table,” he says. “It had to be stressful for them to watch their kid go through training, Olympic Trials, three Olympics so far, and all these ups and downs of my life.”
Adrian adds, “I look at Parker and hope she doesn’t put me through what I put my parents through!”
Earlier this year, the swimmer, who is preparing for the upcoming Olympic Games, told PEOPLE that he wants to make sure that his daughter pursues whatever activity she loves.
At the time, he said, “I do feel blessed that I found a passion at a young age, for the sport of swimming. That’s gonna be what I put an emphasis on as a father: find what she gravitates towards.”
“Maybe she’s gonna be a little bit more of a creative person,” he added. “Swimming isn’t necessarily catering to that, maybe it’s some other sport or some other outlet. I think, for me, the marker for success would be finding and facilitating that thing that she’s super passionate about.”
