The Pregnancy Glow and Other Myths of Motherhood
It happened during the ninth month of my first pregnancy. I was going through a department store check-out lane where a teenage girl was ringing up my purchases. She looked shyly at my burgeoning belly with an expression that could only be described as reverent. With eyes full of dreams of future motherhood she asked, "Is pregnancy really as bad as everyone says?" Without the slightest guilt, I replied, "No. It's worse." The Deception When my husband and I announced the birth of our blessed expectation some months prior, along with endless congratulations, I received the good news of the many wonderful changes I could expect. "You'll positively glow." "Your hair and nails will look fabulous." "You'll feel absolutely beautiful." According to family and friends, as a gestating woman, I would feel nothing short of a precious vessel, glowing with health and radiance given only to those experiencing the miracle of growing a child