The former England star – who sat out Fulham’s 2002-03 season while pregnant with her first child and missed part of Arsenal’s 2007-08 campaign while expecting another baby – withdrew from playing for England in 2011 because she felt she wasn’t given enough time or understanding of her personal situation, but she believes things are different now.

Katie – who went on to have another son with former husband Mark Wilkinson – told FourFourTwo magazine: “Things weren’t handled very well. I just needed a bit of time and understanding, but you don’t understand if you’re not a parent.

“I’d come back from Chicago – I’d been renting out my house while I was over there and couldn’t yet return to my home. I was living at my mum’s.

“I needed to get the kids back into school so I took some time out to put them first.

“Things are much better for mothers in football now, with maternity leave in the contract. Players have children and the situation is managed.

“A woman can get pregnant but they can also do their ACL or a man can be out for nine or 12 months due to a long-term injury.

“You take the time with those people – who can’t you do that with a woman who’s pregnant?

“It’s the same, manage them right and they’ll come back, no problem.”

Katie will always be grateful for the support she received from Fulham during her first pregnancy.

She said: “I missed playing, of course, but I trained and stayed involved.

“Fulham were really supportive. The doctor looked after me, the physio kept in touch throughout the pregnancy and wrote a programme for me – which was helpful with my future pregnancies, as I used it when I had my other two children – and the manager, Gaute Haugenes, understood because his wife played for the side and they had a kid.

“I found it quite easy to start playing again; I was back after just eight weeks because I’d continued to train during my pregnancy, hadn’t gained much weight and had done the right exercises.”