Is 'pregnancy glow' a myth?

[Dogsmom]

This is my first pregnancy, I'm 11 weeks and feeling tired, sick, narky, spotty etc, I've read that the first trimester isn't pleasant and was hoping that I'd soon be feeling the 'pregnancy glow' I've heard about.

However after reading lots of posts on here and other forums it seems that women go on to have spd, sore abdomens, back pain in the 2nd tri and then in the 3rd tri feel huge, bloated, uncomfortable and are desperate for it all to be over.

Is there really a glow at any time during pregnancy? is there ever a time when women feel normal? or is it really an unpleasant 9 months?

I loved the 2nd trimester, my hair grew to its longest length ever, it was also thicker. My skin was clear, I ate loads and had lots of energy.
Only thing I didn't like was random people wanting to touch my bump!

I hated every minute of my pregnancy. I never started glowing, and my hair never got any thicker either. I just looked in permanent need of Touche Eclat. DD is now 11 weeks old, and now that we've emerged from the newborn fog it is so worth it.

15 weeks and still plagued by acne. And I had SPD from 9/10 weeks. I don't do glowing.

Felt quite rough, tired and sick for first trimester

Felt sort of normal for second trimester

Felt quite rough, tired and fat for third trimester.

So my "glow" was to feel vaguely normal.

The only thing that happened re my hair was I had to shave my legs less often.

Yes it's a myth, I have never had a spot in my life, even with 2 previous pregnancies. Now my face is a mass of spots and sores.

I have to say (and I do normally stay fairly quiet about this on these boards) I feel "glowy" and have done pretty much throughout!

I had no sickness at all, no spots, mega increased sex drive in the first trimester was pretty much my only symptom. I did have hormonal days and yes, then feeling glowy was the last thing on my mind....

I'm now 23 weeks and am still feeling fit and well, I have a lovely neat bump, have not put on too much weight, my nails are great (although I've missed out on shiny hair ) and my DH can't keep his hands off me!

So, yes I feel like I glow, and others tell me so too, but I know I'm one of the lucky few..... :)

I believe is a polite thing to say to pregnant women. In my case hair looks great, but that's all. In my friend's case, she looked beautiful, but then, she is beautiful, pregnancy or not.

The only glow I'm feeling at 35wks is the hot flushes that I am having

i think it's just chance, everyone's difference
I would love to get my pregnancy hair and skin back
I loved being pregnant
but feel like a bag of shite now!

Dunno about the glow - my skin is crackling dry and so is hair. Yes, I feel better than when I was vomiting, but I think the "glow" thing is just something people say because they assume you are happy because you're pregnant.

I definitely had the glow. Not so much with dd, but I blame ds for that.

Apart from the bump and enormous thighs, I probably looked the best I've ever looked from about 16 weeks on.

I think for every good thing in pregnancy there's always a bad thing to counter balance the two! I had great skin and hair with DS but back pain and braxton hicks from 26 weeks. It's nature's way of not building you up too much and being able to return to your previous self without feeling bitter!

The only people I have seen looking good in pregnancy already looked good before!

I was really lucky and felt well throughout my pregnancy. I felt a little sick and tired in the first 12 weeks, but no where near as awful as some women get. The last two weeks were hard because I was heavy and had a baby pushing down on my cervix, but I was in slow labour so that was to be expected! Having a neat bump was a blessing too.

First pregnancy... Little bit rough for 12 weeks, then bloody awesome from 12 to 38. Felt like running the marathon, hair and skin best ever. Had a lovely glow about life.

Second oregnancy, I have had a very rough 10 weeks of sickness, but it abruptly stopped two weeks ago. Now thirteen weeks and bubbling with energy and hair and skin is awesome.

If you get a good one, pregnancy rocks!

I think you feel great in the second trimester, but only relative to how terrible you felt in the first!

Having said that DP told me yesterday that my hair looked nice (I'm 18 weeks). That's the first time he has commented on my hair in 13 years together, so there must be some truth in it

Sorry to say I never ever got that pg glow - think it's just sweat from carrying around all the extra weight

I think I have the "glow" (at least, people keep telling me I look very healthy!) My hair is thicker and my skin (normally bad, and particularly awful weeks 8 to 16) has cleared up a lot.

but a) this has only really kicked in since about week 17 and b) it may just be that I look good in comparison with how dreadful I looked up to week 16 or so...

I felt better from about week 13 but didn't look better till about week 17. Hang in there OP.

I am now 26 weeks and to be honest I have loathed every waking moment. There has not been a single bit of this pregnancy I have enjoyed. I've had a rough one though - very severe hyperemesis and now SPD/serious back trouble plus ongoing nausea and tiredness. I have given up hoping for 'a good bit in the middle' (as my mother kept promising me) and am just holding out for it all to be over.

Definitely wasn't blessed with the glow in the first pregnancy and it looks like this one is heading the same way.

My hair got brittle and dry, I started getting spots and I generally felt knackered the whole 9 months.

BUT but but, I did get a gorgeous baby boy out of it so it was a very worthwhile sacrifice!

I feel like women are so different in their reactions to pregnancy its impossible to generalize about these things. Some people seem to love pregnancy while others feel unremittingly sick and debilitated. I didn't "glow" by any stretch of the imagination but I felt a bit better in the second part of the pregnancy but the first trimester seemed to go on for months. I only got a few weeks of feeling OK before I started to feel heavy and incapable of walking properly. But I'm prepared to bet the number of women who actually feel "glowing" as opposed to just about able to get through the day is pretty slim.

I really really really don't understand how there can be people out there who enjoy being pregnant.

Even if you're not sick or exhausted, none of your clothes fit and you look like a blimp.

I had what many people said was a 'small bump' (even had scans to check) and I still felt like an elephant and kept banging into tables.

Sorry to be a downer but felt like shit for nine months both times.

MYTH !!!

With each 4 pregnancies I've been spotty, dull lank hair, bloated, swollen, tired beyond belief from day 1, ridiculous sickly, just looked and felt atrocious!

I think some do bloom and glow ..... just not me

I don't think the 'glow' is necessarily linked to feeling good. I had spd second time round, and felt constantly shit, thanks to ds and an exausting bottom set yr 11.

Looked nice though!