Stages Of Pregnancy:

When one is learning about life cycles in science classes at school, one may feel that it is only insects that grow in stages. But experience brings wisdom as one grows up. The human baby also passes through various stages in the mother’s womb before emerging into the real world. Carrying a growing fetus within her body and giving birth to a full-grown newborn after several months is an extremely significant biological event in a woman’s life, considering that she has to undergo a lot of stress and upheavals during the entire stages of pregnancy.

No one can argue that every pregnant woman needs a lot of fortitude to undertake this difficult journey in life. At the same time, whether it is a first-time pregnancy or a second or a third one, each experience is unique by itself. 

The stages of pregnancy can be split into three quarters, each quarter representing a period of three months known as a trimester—

During the first trimester, the mother-to-be does not exhibit visible signs of pregnancy, though there are great changes taking place inside the womb, or rather uterus. As a matter of fact, a lot of things begin to happen as soon as conception has taken place, maybe even before the pregnant woman is actually aware that she has conceived! The embryo starts dividing very rapidly at this time and there are constant hormonal changes within the woman’s body. As a result, morning sickness is experienced and so also tenderness of the breasts. A few lucky women do not experience these symptoms, but generally most pregnant women find this to be a common event.

The first trimester can be classified as one of the truly exciting stages of pregnancy, because this is when the heartbeat of the growing fetus can be felt! Also, the baby is able to move its tiny legs and arms.

Now follows the second trimester. Among the various stages of pregnancy, many women find this time to be very comfortable. All the discomforts experienced during the first three months disappear. Additionally, activities do not cause any difficulty, considering that the uterus has still not developed to its full size. But other changes do take place. It is possible that Braxton Hicks contractions begin during this time. These are like practice contractions and cause discomfort while sleeping. In fact, the soon-to-be mother may be hard put to find a comfortable position to sleep in! At the same time, the new mother is rewarded as she can now sense the movements of the growing baby. Some women are even able to see the movements!

The last trimester or the final stages of pregnancy brings about a number of changes. Growth of the baby is as fast as it was during the first trimester. As the baby grows in size, so does the pregnant woman’s abdomen! The movements of the baby may not be felt as regularly as they were during the second trimester, but there is really no need to get alarmed about it. It is just that the baby has taken up so much space that internal movements are not visible outside!

It is important that the new mother uses this time during the last stages of pregnancy to fortify her health by taking nutritious meals and relaxing a lot. She should try and remain serene at all times. Additionally, she can attend classes on childbirth and breastfeeding to be prepared for both when the time arrives.

Pregnancy symptoms:

Could you be pregnant? Some symptoms may show up about the time you've missed a period – or a week or two later. A couple of them may even tip you off before then.

If you're not keeping track of your menstrual cycle or if it varies widely from one month to the next, you may not be sure when to expect your period. But if you start to experience some of the symptoms below – not all women get them all – and you're wondering why you haven't gotten your period, you may very well be pregnant. Take a home pregnancy test to find out for sure!

1. The proof: A positive home pregnancy test

In spite of what you might read on the box, many home pregnancy tests are not sensitive enough to reliably detect pregnancy until about a week after a missed period. So if you decide to take a test earlier than that and get a negative result, try again in a few days.Once you've gotten a positive result, make an appointment with your practitioner


2. Your basal body temperature stays high

If you've been charting your basal body temperature and you see that your temperature has stayed elevated for 18 days in a row, you're probably pregnant

3. Implantation bleeding

Very early in pregnancy, even before you realize you're pregnant, you may have some spotting that lasts for only a day or two. There's no way of knowing for sure why this happens, but it may be caused by the fertilized egg burrowing into the wall of your uterus – a process that starts just six to seven days after fertilization.

4. A missed period

If you're usually pretty regular and your period doesn't arrive on time, you may decide to do a pregnancy test before you notice any of the above symptoms. But if you're not regular or you're not keeping track of your cycle, nausea and breast tenderness and extra trips to the bathroom may signal pregnancy before you realize you didn't get your period.

5. Tender, swollen breasts

One of the early signs of pregnancy is sensitive, sore breasts caused by rising levels of hormones. The soreness and swelling may feel like an exaggerated version of how your breasts feel before your period. Your discomfort should diminish significantly after the first trimester, as your body adjusts to the hormonal changes.

6. Fatigue

Feeling tired all of a sudden? No, make that exhausted. No one knows for sure what causes early pregnancy fatigue, but it's possible that rapidly increasing levels of the hormone progesterone are contributing to your sleepiness. (Of course, morning sickness and having to urinate frequently during the night can add to your sluggishness, too.)You should start to feel more energetic once you hit your second trimester, although fatigue usually returns late in pregnancy when you're carrying around a lot more weight and some of the common discomforts of pregnancy make it more difficult to get a good night's sleep.Depression can contribute to fatigue and sleeplessness, too. If you've been feeling sad or hopeless or unable to cope with your daily responsibilities or you're having thoughts of harming yourself, call your healthcare provider or a mental health professional right away.

7. Frequent urination

Shortly after you become pregnant, hormonal changes prompt a chain of events that raise the rate of blood flow through your kidneys. This causes your bladder to fill more quickly, so you need to pee more often. This symptom may start as early as six weeks into your first trimester.
Frequent urination will continue – or intensify – as your pregnancy progresses. Your blood volume rises dramatically during pregnancy, which leads to extra fluid being processed and ending up in your bladder. The problem is compounded as your growing baby exerts more pressure on your bladder.

8. Nausea or vomiting

For some women, morning sickness doesn't hit until about a month after conception, though for others it may start a week or two earlier. And not just in the morning, either – pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting can be a problem morning, noon, or night. (A lucky few escape it altogether.)
About half of women with nausea feel complete relief by the beginning of the second trimester. For most others it takes another month or so for the queasiness to ease up.

9. Heightened sensitivity to odors

If you're newly pregnant, it's not uncommon to feel repelled by the smell of a bologna sandwich or a cup of coffee, and for certain aromas to trigger your gag reflex. Though no one knows for sure, this may be a side effect of rapidly increasing amounts of estrogen in your system. You may also find that certain foods you used to enjoy are suddenly completely repulsive to you.

10. Abdominal bloating

Hormonal changes in early pregnancy may leave you feeling bloated, similar to the feeling some women have just before their period arrives. That's why your clothes may feel more snug than usual at the waistline, even early on when your uterus is still quite small.