Molly-Mae Hague said she cried up to five times a day during the early stages of her pregnancy, in what may be her most relatable revelation yet.
The Love Islander turned PrettyLittleThing creative director, who is now six months pregnant, shared a video documenting how things have been going with her pregnancy so far – including her first scans and coming to terms with her changing body.
“It’s been a crazy, crazy journey so far. It still doesn’t feel real. I still can’t believe I’ve even fallen pregnant,” she said in the new YouTube video. “I had absolutely convinced myself that it was not going to happen smoothly for Tommy and I, with my endometriosis.”
While her early pregnancy has been plain-sailing physically – not a sniff of morning sickness in sight and very little tiredness – mentally she said it’s been up and down.
When she first found out she was pregnant, she said she couldn’t actually feel emotion because she was in such shock – as was her partner Tommy Fury.
“The shock literally overtook my body for the first month, 100%,” she said. “I just felt like every single day I was living an out-of-body experience, my emotions were something that I’ve never experienced before.”
Once the initial shock had worn off, normal pregnancy service resumed – in short: there were tears, and lots of them. “I cried maybe five times a day, for no reason – just in tears over everything,” she explained.
Mood swings and tearfulness are a pretty normal part of pregnancy as levels of progesterone and oestrogen increase.
Over time, the body adapts to these higher levels of hormones and the rollercoaster of emotions should stop – however, for some women, it will last the course of their pregnancy.
During those early weeks, it’s not unusual to cry over literally anything – whether that’s a TV advert with slow music, a photo of a cute kitten or seeing that the biscuit tin is empty. (Yes, I’ve definitely cried at all three.)
Here are some other totally normal things pregnant women have cried at.
Of course there are times when pregnancy tears can be a sign of something a little more serious, such as perinatal anxiety or depression, which impacts one in eight women.
Some of the physical manifestations of this include:
- a churning feeling in your stomach
- feeling light-headed or dizzy
- pins and needles
- feeling restless or unable to sit still
- headaches, backache or other aches and pains
- faster breathing
- a fast, thumping or irregular heartbeat
- sweating or hot flushes
- finding it hard to sleep
- grinding your teeth, especially at night
- nausea (feeling sick)
- needing the toilet more or less often
- changes in your sex drive
- having panic attacks.
If you’re pregnant and experiencing any of the above symptoms, it’s definitely worth reaching out for support – tell your midwife or speak to your GP, who can provide further help in the form of therapy or possibly even medication.
It’s also important to look after yourself during this period – practising breathing exercises and doing gentle physical activity such as walking and yoga might help.