Cockcroft said the start of her sporting season this year had been quieter than most, with the birth of her daughter.
Rosie was born 10 weeks ago and Cockroft said she found out she was pregnant while at the World Championships in New Delhi last year.
“That was a shocker for everybody. We didn’t actually tell anybody, just the team doctor, so that was a tough secret, when you’re throwing up every morning, to keep under your hat.
“I’m slowly trying to add little bits of exercise back in and trying to see where Rosie fits in with with my career. It’s been really nice to step back [from racing],” she said.
Cockcroft said she looked up to fellow British Olympian Jessica Ennis-Hill, who won gold at the 2015 World Championships after giving birth to her first child.
“It kind of gives me a little fire in my belly. It’s a new challenge, it’s almost like wiping the slate clean. I’ve got a different life and a little girl to prove that she can come back from anything.
“I really want to set her a good example and show [her] what I can do,” she added.
The Paralympian was speaking at Leeds Beckett’s Carnegie School of Education ceremony where more than 10,000 students graduated.
Cockcroft told students to say yes to any opportunity, conceding that when she first saw wheelchair racing, she wasn’t entirely keen.
“I was like ‘absolutely not, that looks so uncomfortable’ and, yet, look look where I am now 18 years down the line. An opportunity can really change your life,” she finished.
