‘I Will Swell Up And I Won’t “Glow”‘: In Praise Of Paloma Faith’s Honest And Pitch-Perfect Pregnancy Announcement

The singer announced her ‘so wanted’ pregnancy after six rounds of IVF.

Paloma Faith Pregnant

by Rhiannon Evans |
Updated on

Congratulations to Paloma Faith, who today has announced she is pregnant with her second child with an open and brutally honest statement.

While pregnancy is a hugely personal experience, her comments will have given heart to women who have experienced IVF, difficult pregnancies and births or anxiety – and those who have mixed feelings about the whole experience and feel unable to talk about it.

In a statement on her Instagram page, Paloma said: ‘𝖨𝗍 𝗂𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝖾𝗑𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗆𝖾 𝗉𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝖨 𝖺𝗇𝗇𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝖨 𝖺𝗆 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗀𝗇𝖺𝗇𝗍. 𝖨 𝖺𝗆 𝗀𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝗋𝖾𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝗆𝗎𝗌𝗂𝖼 𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅 𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖾 𝗂𝗇 𝗆𝗒 𝖻𝗈𝖽𝗒 𝖺𝗌 𝗂𝗍 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖿𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖾𝗒𝖾𝗌! 𝖨 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗆𝗒 𝗃𝗈𝖻 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖼𝖺𝗇’𝗍 𝗐𝖺𝗂𝗍 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗈 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋 𝗆𝗒 𝟧𝗍𝗁 𝖺𝗅𝖻𝗎𝗆 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝖻𝖾 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗌 𝗆𝗎𝖼𝗁 𝖺𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖼𝗋𝖺𝗓𝗒 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗈𝗐 (𝖺𝗅𝗌𝗈 𝖺 𝗍𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗇𝖾𝗑𝗍 𝗒𝖾𝖺𝗋).

‘𝖨 𝖺𝗆 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝖺 𝗌𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗇𝗒 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗀𝗇𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨 𝖺𝗆 𝖺𝗅𝗌𝗈 𝗁𝗂𝗀𝗁 𝗋𝗂𝗌𝗄 𝗂𝗇 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗀𝗇𝖺𝗇𝖼𝗒 𝗌𝗈 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖺𝗌𝗄 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖾𝖽𝗂𝖺 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗋𝗎𝗇 𝖺𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗀𝖾𝗍 𝗎𝗇𝖿𝗅𝖺𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗍𝗌 𝖺𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝗑𝗂𝖾𝗍𝗒 𝗂𝗌 𝖽𝖾𝗍𝗋𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗅 𝗍𝗈 𝗆𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝗒 𝖻𝖺𝖻𝗒. 𝖳𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖼𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖽 𝗂𝗌 𝗌𝗈 𝗐𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽, 𝗂𝗍’𝗌 𝗆𝗒 𝟨𝗍𝗁 𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝖿 𝖨𝖵𝖥 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝖺 𝗌𝗍𝗋𝗎𝗀𝗀𝗅𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗀𝖾𝗍 𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾. 𝖨 𝗁𝖺𝖽 𝖺 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝗍𝗋𝖺𝗎𝗆𝖺𝗍𝗂𝖼 𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗌𝗍 𝖻𝗂𝗋𝗍𝗁 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨 𝖺𝗆 𝖺𝗅𝗌𝗈 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗉𝗈𝗌𝗍𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗎𝗆 𝖽𝖾𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇.

READ MORE: 'What 11 Rounds Of IVF Taught Me About Life'

‘𝖡𝖾𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺 𝗆𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍’𝗌 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗉𝖾𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗆𝖾 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝖨 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗌𝗐𝖾𝗅𝗅 𝗎𝗉 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖨 𝗐𝗈𝗇’𝗍 “𝗀𝗅𝗈𝗐”! 𝖨 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗅 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖺𝗅𝗅! 𝖳𝗈 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗀𝗇𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗐𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗇 𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗐𝗁𝗈 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋 𝖻𝖺𝖻𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗌 𝗆𝖾 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗌𝗂𝗆𝗎𝗅𝗍𝖺𝗇𝖾𝗈𝗎𝗌𝗅𝗒 𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗍𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆𝗌𝖾𝗅𝗏𝖾𝗌, 𝗅𝖾𝗍’𝗌 𝖽𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌.’

Paloma’s statement is perfectly pitched – explaining her feelings towards her pregnancy and the experiences women undergo in creating and birthing a child, while also acknowledging the gifts the resulting children can bring.

For many, discovering you’re pregnant can be a mixed bag of feelings, even when planned, hoped and wished for, and yes, even if it’s your second time experiencing it. I’ve lost track of the amount of people who told me that when they found out they were pregnant, they burst into tears… and not always happy tears. No matter how long awaited that news was.

Paloma has also noted that pregnancy can be hard fought for many, and so that while there may be challenges, it’s important to give gratitude for a pregnancy too - simultaneously acknowledging the privilege and her own legitimate feelings. Being honest and open about feelings around pregnancy, conception and post-birth trials is a different conversation to the wanting of a child – and women should be able to talk about all their feelings in all aspects of motherhood and pregnancy without fear or being viewed one way or another.

And then once your body starts to change, as Paloma says, it’s not always everything you’ve hoped and dreamed of. While some women might look like they’ve popped a small football up their jumper, the rest of us look like we’ve shoved a duvet under our skin. All over. And that second trimester glow never comes either sometimes. Unless you’re pregnant in a heatwave and you are fully covered in a layer of sweat the whole time.

While there’s a constant message to women to give in to ‘nature’ and just love every moment, find beauty in it all, that’s really just another pressure on women. It also feels like maybe it was made up by a marketing team who have never experienced insomnia or pelvic girdle pain.

READ MORE: Anna Whitehouse, Aka Mother Pukka: 'I Was Like A Laptop Slowly Shutting Down Until Only The Basic Keyboard Function Was There’

When the baby arrives, there’s also so many further challenges - the 'love bubble' does not cure all. Paloma’s openness about her traumatic birth and being prone to postpartum depression will have meant so much to so many women opening up Instagram and sat feeding right now, or those who have just wrangled a screaming child into their first nap this week.

There’s nothing more devastating than feeling a birth or a start to motherhood isn’t going ‘like it should’, like you’d pictured, or like everyone keeps telling you that you must be feeling. It's an aloneness like no other. No matter how many times people tell other women that, it won’t always sink in. And in the depths of those first few weeks, you never know what might be the life-raft that brings you back. Undoubtedly, today, Paloma’s honesty and words will have helped more than one woman start that journey to not beating themselves up and sitting with their legitimate feelings.

It’s horrendously sad that Paloma feels she needs to address the press in asking them not to try and 'run after me to get unflattering shots' – and we should all look at ourselves and how we may have previously consumed such pictures. But Paloma’s voice and platform also mean that millions today will have read her words in a myriad of situations and found comfort in them.

We need to keep talking about these things. It’s important. It can save lives.

Gallery

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