A woman can make her pregnancy time even more beautiful and hassle-free if she knows the various pregnancy stages beforehand. The first early pregnancy symptoms are sometimes difficult to identify. Some women say that they had a single drop of blood after ovulation (implantation bleeding) and they just knew. Some felt strange sensations or fullness in their breasts. Some didn’t feel any different at all and just missed a period. So the symptoms are individualistic and differ from person to person. However, the following are a few common symptoms or signs of pregnancy spotting

• Darkening of areolas

• Implantation bleeding a few days after ovulation

• Constipation

• Frequent urination

• Frequent heartburn or indigestion

• Sleeplessness

• Full or tender breasts

• Needle-like sensation or tingling in areolas, like they’ve fallen asleep

• Skipped or very light period

• Fatigue - going to bed early too often

• Nausea

• Loss of appetite and fainting attacks

• Vaginal discharge

• Positive pregnancy test - the only sure Pregnancy Symptom

These pregnancy symptoms can be experienced as early as 11 days DPO to 14 days DPO (days post ovulation), around the time your period would normally occur. Due to nausea and vomiting, a pregnant woman’s appetite might decrease. She should make sure to take a healthy diet. A healthy diet includes carbohydrate- and protein-rich foods such as milk, curd, cottage cheese, eggs, lentils, pulses, vegetables, and sprouts. Folic acid supplementation is essential.

Pregnancy usually lasts 280 days or 40 weeks, counting from the first day of the last menstrual period. It is broken down into 3 stages of pregnancy, known as “trimesters.” The first trimester lasts from week 1 to week 13; the second trimester from week 14 to week 27; and the third trimester from week 28 to week 40 week, or until birth.

Each trimester has its own milestones. During the first trimester, it’s hearing the heartbeat; during the second, it’s the first time the baby moves; in the third, many women experience Braxton Hicks contractions, signifying that the body is getting ready for labor. Some tests such as chorionic villus sampling are done during the first trimester. Others such as amniocentesis (another diagnostic test) may be done during the second trimester. Rhesus incompatibility may also be diagnosed in the second trimester. Certain problems such as gestational diabetes, if develop, almost always arise during the last trimester.

A pregnant woman’s feelings will change during each pregnancy stage as well. In the beginning, she might be fraught with weepiness and fatigue due to hormonal changes. She may feel ambivalent if she has been experiencing morning sickness. She might also feel intense excitement at times.