Being pregnant is undoubtedly a blessing. And some of us are doubly blessed in that we sail through pregnancy with very few twinges and are constantly heard saying, “I’m pregnant, not ill”. Then there are those of us that have every symptom under the sun, and absolutely demand that you give up your seat so we can rest our cankles.
You either have the Pregnancy Bloom or the Pregnancy Gloom.
Pregnancy Bloom
You felt a bit queasy for a couple of hours on three occasions in the early stages. But apart from that you have had no morning sickness. You are always ravenously hungry and can’t stop eating, but you haven’t put on any more weight than is recommended. People often comment how the weight that you have gained is “all baby”.
Pregnancy Gloom
Who the hell came up with the term ‘morning sickness’. Try 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for the last six months. You suddenly have a super hero sense of smell, and most odors make you want to barf. You spend more time in the toilet than anywhere else and have taken to walking around with a bowl just in case. Despite this you are always ravenously hungry and can’t stop eating, and even though most of it comes back up you have managed to put on double the weight recommended and people often ask you “are you sure it’s not twins in there?”
Pregnancy Bloom
People often tell you that you are ‘glowing’. You have an abundance of energy and you feel amazing. Your skin and hair have never looked better. Your bump is a perfect football shape and you are still in the gym twice a week.
Pregnancy Gloom
The only glow you have is from the sheen of sweat. Every joint in your body aches, you are moving like an 80-year-old, and you involuntarily groan every time you stand up. Quite often you require assistance to remove yourself from the sofa. You have bump envy as everyone else appears to have lovely round bumps, whereas yours appears to be more peanut shaped.
Pregnancy Bloom
You haven’t had many twinges, but two days before your due date your waters break and you go into natural labour.
Pregnancy Gloom
You’ve been having regular and painful Braxton Hicks for three weeks but it never develops into labour, despite the fact that you are now 10 days overdue. Everyone keeps telling you “you’ve made it too comfortable in there” when in fact comfort is something you haven’t felt for at least 4 months. You endure the sweep from the midwife and try all methods to bring on labour including bribing your unborn child. Nothing works and you have to be induced.
Pregnancy Bloom
You slip back into your size 10’s without any real effort six weeks after birth.
Pregnancy Gloom
You wonder if you can technically still call it baby weight after 4 years.
Can you guess which one I was?!
How did you fair? Was is pregnancy bloom or pregnancy Gloom?
This post was featured as Netmums Blog of the Day, and featured on Huffpost.
I was a bit of both. I’m currently 24 weeks pregnant and still plagued with days and nights of sickness. I have backache and really dry hair. I do however, have a lovely round bump which I love and my skin seems to be a lot nicer. No idea how this labour is going to go – one really quick and one induced. I’ve definitely had my share of both #bumpsandbabies
Lol I can relate to a lot of the pregnancy gloom scenarios despite being one of the lucky ones who generally quite enjoys pregnancy. I remember those weeks of Braxton Hicks in the run-up to Sophie’s birth and being quite convinced for about three weeks that I was about to imminently go into labour. As for baby weight – I gave up hope long ago that I would ever get back into my pre-pregnancy clothes from before I had Jessica! #bumpsandbabies
Gloom, gloom, gloom! They last far too long – I refuse to believe anyone can bloom for 40 weeks! It’s more first two weeks: this isn’t so bad. Rest of pregnancy: this is awful, is it nearly finished? #FridayFrolics
Mine were all over the map… but definitely gloom during a few of my pregnancies in the first trimester when I was so exhausted I felt like a hollowed-out shell of a human!
#FridayFrolics – I had one Gloomer and 2 that people would call blommer. For me it didn’t matter – sick or not I HATED being pregnant with a passion. There is nothing cute about 50lbs and cankles. My boy was my gloomer and I threw up CONSTANTLY!!! So much so that I would have to pull over on my way to work and puke on the side of and INTERSTATE!!! (People would honk at me on Monday mornings thinking I had a hang over…)
Ha! I love this. I was definitely not a “bloom” pregnant person. I was miserable with all three. No glowing here!
#fridayfrolics
Frankly, I think you can indefinitely consider it baby weight. We’re entitled to that much. I was a gloomer. My cankles had cankles and I’m SOOOO glad it’s over, lol. You seem like pregnancy would agree with you but since you knew about the cankles…I’m guessing you and i were one in the same.
Haha I will read this as a reminder every time I feel broody!!
Ha love it! I shall read this every time I get even slightly broody. It will remind me of the reality!
Is it even possible to be somewhere in the middle?! I think on the whole I was a bloomer, minus the staying in shape and au natural birth (that was ALL gloom!) #FridayFrolics
I forgot #FridayFrolics!
Ha! So true.I was the size of a hippopotamus and could have slept for 20 hours a day!Too old now but would love to do it all again!
Yes you can still call it baby weight after 4 years! Well that is what I am telling myself. I never had any pregnancy bloom. I had visions of being all hippy-mother and lovely and swishy-swashy. Instead I was grumpy, sickly and very stampy #FridayFrolics
Very funny! I was lucky in that I didn’t really suffer a lot of gloom, well apart from the SPD I acquired which made walking to the fridge a challenge akin to an assault course! #fridayfrolics
I was lucky most of the time, except for the 24-hour-sickness for the first 3 months. And oh, the smells that made me want to throw up! Even seemingly nice smells, like my shampoo and conditioner!
#FridayFrolics
27 months of gloom over here- I am not a graceful pregnant person.
#fridayfrolics
Oooh a bit of bloom and gloom! I remember developing the ability to detect all smells like a trained alsatian and having the dodgy pelvic pain with my second pregnancy! I also remember the ‘glowing’ of both types – glowy and sweaty and needing to get a few bras with built in scaffolding! I defo bloomed and gloomed my way through my pregnancies!! #fridayfrolics
GLOOM….but the end result made it a bloom…most days…OK; sometimes…#fridayfrolics
Haha love this post! Pregnancy bloom for me! I was incredibly lucky throughout my pregnancy and had a nice easy natural labour. Some of my friends have not been so lucky and always tell meow easy I had it!
Ha ha. I was gloom for the first 3 months with all 3. Never been so effing sick in my entire life. Was written off work for weeks with the first. One of my sisters said a while ago how my morning sickness ‘did drag on a bit…it all got a bit ridiculous’…I could have merrily punched her. Both of my sisters now have kids. Neither of them suffered a day of illness. #Injustice But once I was through the first trimester it was definitely bloom. I regaled in a huge maternity wardrobe and loved being pregnant. So I’m both (figures).
Love this – definitely in the gloom camp over here! The ‘morning’ sickness never went and the whole 9 months just felt neverending. All the books saying ‘you’ll feel amazing in your second trimester’ – hahaha!!!?! The labour was a breeze in comparison (I may be glossing over the details of that in my mind – gas and air is a wonderful thing!)
The pregnancy is what is mainly putting me off baby no.2, although it’s reassuring to read so many comments above that indicate that every pregnancy really is different.
Oh bless this is so true so many have it easy and do want to boast about it but insensitive to those that aren’t so lucky and get every ailment mother nature intend for child rearing. Great comparison and I think more should understand it’s not all dress the bump and be merry and bright. Great post. Thank you so much for linking up to Share With Me. #sharewithme
I loved reading this. I love and crave being pregnant, it’s one of my most favourite things ever, but that’s only because it agreed with me. It didn’t agree with my hormones though, how the people around me survived both of my pregnancies is beyond me. Bipolar would describe perfectly how I felt emotionally. My friend had an awful pregnancy and she despised it all. It can be really bittersweet sometimes because some parts are extremely tough and a tad annoying your post literally sums it all up! #fridayfrolics
Haha! This post made me laugh! I am sorry to say from your description I was more pregnancy bloom than gloom. Apart from the gym bit…they are horrid places. You will not see me in one of those places! 🙂 xx
Ha ha! Bloomed with the first one (kind of) and totally gloomed it up with the second. I think my cankles had their own postcode. Remember all of this soooo well. #fridayfrolics xx
Haha, love this! I was definitely pregnancy gloom. It was just awful from start to finish! I’ve told OH the only way we’re having another is if the science in Junior becomes a reality. 🙂 #fridayfrolics
Gloom! What began as ‘our amazing little secret’ soon gave way to ‘is this for real’?? Blooming miserable! But two fabulous kids so all worth it. #FridayFrolics
I was a bit of both!! So not all bad!! Basically brilliant pregnancy until the last few weeks when I got preeclampsia and turned in to an elephant. Induced 3 weeks early and took over a year for my feet to go back to normal size!
#fridayfrolics
Wow! I’m assuming they weren’t like clowns feet ; )
I was bloom the first time, most definitely gloom the second time…! I couldn’t believe how 2 pregnancies could be so different, and how I could look so different after the second one… I hated being pregnant, and I feel sorry for every pregnant person I see!!!!
#FridayFrolics
Pregnancy weight… 17 months later and I’m still calling it that. I’m pleased to know I’m not alone!!
I guess it will be same at 4 years 🙂
Gosh I was definitely gloom! Does the bloom exist? After 4 kids I’m not convinced! Great post! Thanks for having me for #fridayfrolics
I was somewhere in the middle with both of my pregnancies, although definitely trending towards the gloomy side when it came to the ‘after baby arrives’ bit!
Haha! Brilliant! I had the pregnancy bloom, which is why I was such a smug bitch when my babies came along. Don’t worry, karma soon caught up with me. Great post #FridayFrolics
Love this post! I am nearly 39 weeks pregnant with my first baby and for me the first 14 weeks were pregnancy gloom! I was sick all the time, tired and felt yucky! After those weeks went by I have felt like pregnancy bloom! My hair has gone darker, thicker and softer, I have had no water retention at all, bundles of energy up till 2 weeks ago. Now im tired and can’t wait to get this baby out! xx
#brilliantblogposts
Ooooh not long to go. Good luck. Wishing you a pain free and fast labour. (Gas and Air is awesome 😉
I think I’m somewhere in the middle, my morning sickness was manageable but I did end up the size of a whale and there was no way any size 10’s were going over my enormous thighs. Mustn’t eat all the cakes this time round!
If you can’t when you are pregnant, when can you?!
Thanks for sharing this! It’s important to point out that pregnancy can be surprisingly tough for a lot of women. I fell somewhere in between but still found it a struggle, especially the first trimester and the last three weeks. #bestandworst
Sometimes it’s like you are not allowed to complain. I know it’s a miracle and everything, but it’s hard work!
Well I don’t know where I fall! I hated being pregnant & had HG for 8 months with first and 6.5 to 7 with second, so it wasn’t fun & I would say that I was a gloomy pregnant person. But, I have to admit that I did otherwise mostly fulfill all of your pregnancy bloom requirements (and in fact I have rarely even admitted to having been one of those pregnant women as I know people will hate me!) #sharewithme
I still like you 😉
Thank you! 😀 I am returning from #fridayfrolics (& not just to see if I’m still liked!)
I definitely was a mixture of both but mostly gloom lol especially in my 2nd pregnancy I moaned about everything and the acid indigestion and pelvic pain just made me a miserable sod! Thanks for linking up #bestandworst
We are allowed to moan. We are growing an actual human being!
Definitely swaying towards the gloom camp! In fact my first labour was bordering on “doom” and was possibly even more traumatic than an Eastenders Christmas special. My second labour was definitely bloom though and I sound like a really annoying “oh you know, just a bit of gas and air and he drifted out into our lovely warm birthing pool” type. (Sorry). I like to think that every element of “gloom” is balanced out with a bit of “bloom” somewhere down the line. *crosses fingers* ;0) x
#bestandworst
I had a horrendous pregnancy second time, but when it came to the labour, I just kind of sneezed him out!!!
Hahaha…Absolutely loved this! I had both. I had Gloom with #1 and #3 and Bloom with my #2? The Gloom was so awful that I was on bedrest, countless hospitalisations etc and with #2, no problems, worked till the day I gave birth and then back to work two days later! Every pregnancy is so different! Thanks for sharing with #abitofeverything
Yes. Not going to find out what it would be like again though!
I had pregnancy gloom for both of mine! With my first I was so sick for the whole 40 weeks that I actually lost weight, I looked like a skeleton when my son was born. Looking back, I think I had HG, and I probably should have been in hospital on a drip, but I was too scared to tell my midwife! I wasn’t sick with my daughter, but I was prone to hot flushes, every part of me ached. I didn’t have a very big bump but I still waddled like penguin due to my spd, I’m sure people who saw me walking in the street must have thought I was putting it on!
I had spd too. Horrible!
This was good for a little giggle, fun to laugh at pregnancy in hindsight isn’t it? I was lucky not to have too difficult a pregnancy but then I got a fussy baby to make up for it. Thankfully he’s marginally less fussy as a toddler!
The only benefit of a pregnancy gloom is you know it has to end at some point!
Oh dear! I was definitely experiencing pregnancy gloom in the first trimester a few weeks back. Now I think im somewhere in the middle! Hope it wasnt all gloom for you all the way through ;-). Emily #TwinklyTuesday
Good luck to you :). It was all gloom, but I did have a fast, simple and pain – free labour. (All of that is true, except the pain – free bit)
This is great! I had every gloom with my first! 6 months of vomiting every day & a 52 hour labour ending with an emergency section. Can’t believe I did it again! Damn hormones xx
Ha ha! Wow. 52 hours! You are a hero.
Haha! Loved this! I was pregnancy bloom for both my pregnancies.
I shall refrain from calling you a rude name 😉
Oh I was most definitely pregnancy gloom but for very good reason. My second son was stillborn at 9 months pregnant and so naturally, being pregnant was the most terrifying experience afterwards. I think many women are scared to admit that they hated being pregnant, it is something that we are just expected to enjoy and be grateful for? I hated every second of it, mainly through fear, and just wish that I could have been one of those women who bloomed!!! Thanks for sharing. #twinklytuesday
You were very brave to go through it again. Maybe the bloom is an urban legend?! Thanks for your comment. X
Mixture of the two – some bloom and some gloom. Sorry!
Ouch!
For my wife it was more pregnancy gloom (for many reasons but we’ll stick to the funny ones). The constant refrain was “where’s my goddamn pregnancy glow?!”
#abotofeverything
*a bit* not bot. Oops.
It’s a conspiracy. It doesn’t exist!
Well definitely gloom for morning sickness! I have 4 children and the morning sickness was exactly the same for each one – despite doctors telling me each time would improve! I was very sick 24 hours a day for 20 weeks. I ended up on a drip with each one. I was lucky though that at about 20 weeks it suddenly disappeared over night and I enjoyed most of the second half. I suppose it can’t have been that bad though – unless I am just plain stupid 😉
Sorry #abitofeverything
That’s over a year and a half with your head down the toilet! 😉
That’s over a year and a half with your head down the toilet! 😉
Definitely, definitely GLOOM for me. I could have written this myself. I feel like pregnancy gloom is actually the norm and everyone is just pretending 😉 #TwinklyTuesday
6 months of morning sicknss, that’s hard, it was only 3 months for me but 3 months I would just wish each day past! #TwinkleyTuesday
Oh god I had 4 lots of gloom. 24 hour sickness from 6 -28 weeks; awful water retention; forever to loose the weight (still trying) 15 months after baby 4; all four were very late and 2/4 were inductions…the little buggers were totally worth it though and I’d do the gloom every time if it meant I got a prize like them at the end 🙂 #twinklytuesday
You are a saint. My second pregnancy was awful. It was an easy and quick birth though which made up for it 😉
Ha – love this! In my first pregnancy I was mainly bloom (sorry). I LOVED being pregnant and only felt tired and achey right near the end. This time I have had the ‘walking like an 80 year old’ you describe since about 26 weeks, I don’t know what I’ll be like by 40 weeks – probably crawling around because I can’t even stand up! I’m not sure if it’s age or chasing a toddler or just karma! I still love being pregnant and seeing my bump grow and move but I’m definitely past the glow stage now and feeling it’s all terribly downhill from here…
Definitely karma 😉 x