Tennessee Women's Basketball Coach Kim Caldwell Returns to Work 1 Week After Giving Birth to First Child
On Monday, Jan. 20, Caldwell and her husband officially became first-time parents when their son Conor Scott was born
Tennessee basketball coach Kim Caldwell is back on the job one week after giving birth.
Caldwell — the women’s basketball head coach at the University of Tennessee — returned to the sidelines on Monday, Jan. 27, exactly one week after she gave birth to her very first child.
On Monday, Jan. 20, Caldwell and her husband officially became first-time parents when their son Conor Scott was born, weighing in at six pounds, 10 ounces, CNN reported.
Seven days later, Caldwell was back to business as Tennessee went against No. 2 South Carolina, losing 70-63. However, the beloved coach received a warm standing ovation as she entered the arena at Food City Center.
Following the game, Caldwell addressed the unexpected standing ovation she received from fans welcoming her back.
“I definitely wasn’t expecting it. I try to sneak in and so I sneak in the back. I always try to go unnoticed. It made coming back worth it,” she said.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Caldwell also shared how she is currently handling her recovery, given the physical nature of her job.
“I’ll know probably tomorrow when I get home. I appreciate the team. I appreciate my staff. It’s hard for me to yell so I can move around okay. … So just having the players repeat things, having my staff repeat things, having them being able to just go up and call some plays when I needed to sit, it’s big when you have people around you who you can trust,” she said.
Although she didn’t feel any discomfort during the game, Caldwell said, “I’ll find out pretty quickly once I get in my car.”
Related: Women's NCAA Championship Scores More Viewers Than Men's Final — for the First Time Ever!
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley showered Caldwell with praise upon returning to work so soon after becoming a mother.
“I think she is very passionate about her team, coaching here,” Staley said. “I don’t know if I can be detached from my little one for that long but she got great help and she wanted to be here with her team. Women have to make decisions like that and when they do I feel like other women should honor them and let them know we see you."
“Women have the strength of ten men, no doubt about it,” Staley added.
Read the original article on People