Pregnancy involves the formation of an embryo, which grows into a baby due to the fertilization of an egg by a sperm. The baby develops in the body of a woman. Pregnancy is the best gift given by mother’s nature to a woman as a new life starts growing in her body, but it involves major changes in her body. These changes are termed as stages of pregnancy which is medically termed as three trimesters. Pregnancy takes 40 weeks to complete.

Each trimester has particular development of baby, termed as weekly pregnancy as the child grows week by week. The first trimester (week 1 - week 12) involves breast changes, tiredness, nausea, morning sickness, frequent urination, constipation. Towards approaching at the end of this stage, the uterus of the woman grows into grapefruit and the baby grows to a cherry. Woman has to take frequent small meals. The second trimester (week 13 – week 28) results in the expansion of the abdomen of the woman, back pain, body ache, darkening of skin around the breasts, patches of darker skin at forehead, cheeks, nose or upper lip, swelling of ankles, fingers and face and itching on abdomen, palms and soles of feet. The third trimester (week 29 – week 40) results in the breathing problem as the baby is growing putting pressure on other organs of the woman. The other changes are heartburn, tender breasts with milk in it, movements of the baby in lower abdomen, sleeping trouble and contractions showing the signs of labor.

Child birth-labor results in the culmination of pregnancy and birth of an infant. It is characterized by three stages of labor – dilation of the cervix, descent and birth of baby and birth of placenta. The birth of baby can be through caesarean by surgical incision in the abdomen or by vaginal birth. The birth of the baby, though is painful, bring joy and happiness in the end.

Pregnancy is full of excitement and anxiety about the new life during a woman’s journey to motherhood. During pregnancy, most of the women spend their time thinking whether she will be successful to deliver a normal baby. Several pregnant women suffer from severe stress during the pregnancy period. This is quite normal in the early stages of pregnancy period, when a woman’s body is preparing herself to meet the requirement of new life, which is growing inside her womb. However, to give a birth of healthier baby, a woman needs to be strong during her pregnancy. Every woman should be careful that the development of baby would be affected by her anxiety in pregnancy.

Pregnancy is a crucial period in a woman’s life. While the news of pregnancy brings with it joyous tidings, pregnancy period also gives stressful moments to the pregnant woman. The pregnancy period lasts nine months, which keeps a prospective mother on the edge. Though the fast changing stages during pregnancy run along predictable lines, the experience is subjective.

Thus, each woman has to handle the situation in her own way. Nevertheless, there is consensus, that in order to cope with the pregnancy-related stress, a woman needs to keep fit and healthy, which alone ensures smooth transition into motherhood.