What kinds of changes are experienced during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, it is very natural to experience changes going on in your body as well as in your emotions. The changes taking place in the body are so exciting and dramatic that you may wonder why your new pregnancy isn't immediately obvious to everyone.

Your pregnancy experience could be affected by a number of circumstances such as:

• whether pregnancy was planned or unplanned
• how much help you may need in raising the child
• becoming pregnant after a long period
• medical intervention (like IVF)
• whether your relationship is stable or transient
• Pressure from your partner or your family to become pregnant.

Common experiences

• Feeling over the moon: you and your partner are most likely to feel completely over the moon about the new baby, mostly if you've really been wanting to have a baby for a while.

• Back on earth again: you could also have mixed emotions or find yourself very teary about how your relationships could change, about the pregnancy, or about what comes later.

• Hormonal effects: Hormones are a huge contributor towards these feelings. In early pregnancy, usually between about 6-12 weeks, the body has lots of extra hormones to help the baby grow. These may make you feel unwell. Popularly, this is known as morning sickness, although some women may feel sick all day, while others find it begins at the end of the day. Extra hormones can also make you feel extremely emotional. Fluctuations can contribute to emotional ups and downs.

• Surprised that life continues to be normal: Working, going for walks, playing sport, going for walks, catching up with people - a lot of women feel absolutely full of energy, and are quite surprised as to how little things really change.

• Yet things feel very different: In spite of having surges of energy, you'll probably also feel like you need a little more sleep than usual. You may even feel very, very exhausted, and might not want to go out as much as you used to. You may also find that you tend to forget things that you've never forgotten earlier. This may be due to focusing more on the baby, and also because of being exhausted.

• Amazement at the changing shape: you might develop curves in certain places where you never expected them. Lots of women feel extremely voluptuous when they're pregnant.

  On the other hand, the changing shape might be terrifying you. Your favourite shoes might start pinching your feet and you might have to say goodbye to your favourite jeans, though temporarily.

• Worried about giving birth: as birth gets nearer, it's natural to worry about labour. 'Will I know when I'm in labour? Will it hurt badly?' Knowing what to expect during labour and what your options are can be of great help.

• Wondering if you'll be a good parent: a lot of men and women worry about how a new baby will have an effect on their lives, careers and relationships. It's also very common for women to wonder how they will find time for themselves once the new baby arrives.

When to get help

• Incase you're feeling more than a bit weary and have an continuing or overwhelming sense of sadness, futility or anxiety, then seek help from dedicated organizations like Panda or talk to your doctor. Depression strikes one in ten pregnant women. Dealing with such feelings in the right manner can help you enjoy your pregnancy in a better way.

• If you are worrying about how you will cope with life after the baby is born, simply talk to a friend or consult a health professional.

• Seek help if you feel like some of the changes in your relationships are making life worse, for instance, if you feel that certain important relationships are breaking up, or there are issues which are becoming a problem.