Australian television reporter Erin Molan is setting the record straight on her pregnancy.
Since announcing her pregnancy, Molan says that she had been receiving many messages about how great she looked pregnant and her "glow".
However thankful she was for these kind messages of support, she wanted to share that her persona on TV is not the full story.
"I feel it’s important for other pregnant women to know that there is a very real and non-glam side to my pregnancy," she wrote.
She says that to appear on television she has a team of make up artists and hairstylists, and she's fully aware that this is a luxury most pregnant women don't have:
"I’m working daily at the moment so some VERY talented souls are dressing me and doing my hair and my make up every afternoon for news. How I look ready to go ‘on-air’ isn’t how I arrive at work or wake up."
Molan continues to say that she is "sick every single day" and her struggle has not gone unnoticed:
"Twice - once at radio and once at tv - I have been likened to a ‘walking corpse’ (in a nice way - no malice - the resemblance was uncanny) I spend most days ill in bed until I have to get up and go to work."
The intense sickness has lead to her to take time off work, something that she has never done before:
"Today - I spent an hour on the bathroom floor unable to get up - and have had to call in sick to work for the first time since getting pregnant... I can normally work through anything so I found doing that incredibly hard."
She is delighted to be pregnant and to be soon welcoming a child, she however says that the "unglamourous" side of pregnancy is important to share as well:
"So whilst I am very blessed to be carrying a child when so many desperately want to and can’t - like most women the reality of this pregnancy is completely unglamorous in ways far too graphic to share properly here!"
Other mums are right there with her, encouraging her to keep powering through and sharing their own experiences with awful morning sickness:
"I feel you. I was sooo sick from the moment I fell to they day my girls were born. None of it is relevant once they hand you your baby. And you're beautiful!"
"Know how you feel, I threw up until both were born multiple hospital admissions to be rehydrated etc. Thanks for keeping it real."
"Thank you for writing this. I'm 24 weeks and you’ve written exactly how I feel. Hope it gets better for you."
"Totally understand. Didn't stop vomiting until my daughter was born. I likened my pregnancy to being permanently sea sick. The end result will be so worth any pregnancy issues."
Molan's honesty is so refreshing. It's heartening to see that very woman has a unique pregnancy journey- whether on TV or not!
