Status of motherhood brings so much bliss in a woman’s life. The transition from a woman to a mother is a beautiful journey with several changes happening within self. In order to handle pregnancy with a lot more grace, it is important to have a thorough knowledge about the pregnancy stages and its implications on your physical and mental health.

Pregnancy stages can be customarily categorized into three, initial stage being the first trimester. Your body experiences several changes like missing menstrual cycle, morning sickness, increase in weight, constipation, variations in breast size and general tiredness. Frequent urination becomes unavoidable. Mood swings and craving for special foods are common at times like these but it is your responsibility to follow the diet chart and exercise module as per the physician’s advice.

As you enter the second trimester pregnancy, consider yourself fortunate as you may not suffer nausea or fatigue any longer. Prominent change that you may observe is the enlargement of your belly and stretch marks on some parts of your body including your thighs, buttocks and breasts. Some women also witness a change in color and texture of their skin. Some patches of dark skin also referred to as mask of pregnancy appears but do not panic as it will disappear over a period of time. Swelling, numbness and body pain is natural due to the baby’s growth and development. Over exertion is not recommended and always be cautious about carrying weights.

Third trimester pregnancy is the final stage where the baby’s growth is complete. As the baby pushes itself further, pressure in your organs induces frequent urination. Excessive body weight can cause severe swelling in your ankles, fingers and face muscles along with severe back aches. Some mothers-to-be also go through breathing problems and false contractions. Anxiety and excitement begins with those lovely kicks from the little one which makes you forget the other physical difficulties.

The cervix gets thinner facilitating the vagina to open up. Dilation of cervix and breaking of bag of water gives you a clear indication that the climax is nearing. The experience of pregnancy stages will differ from one woman to another. For one woman it could be difficult to handle but for the other it may be blissful. As your baby kicks really hard to find its way out into this beautiful world, every single experience that you have had in these 40 weeks will prove to be worthwhile and memorable for a long time to come.