Pregnancy is like a rollercoaster ride, full of pain, difficulties, mood swings, etc. but the end result is more than that, very sweet. During the last few months, the mother has undergone many psychological and emotional changes because of altered hormone levels. Now, it is possible that she might not sleep well and may tire easily. Moreover, in this situation, certain fears and anxieties are common to every woman, so it is best to be well informed.

CHANGES PER TRIMESTER 

A pregnancy lasts 40 weeks, which by convention are divided into three trimesters. Each trimester corresponds to a series of more or less specific changes that come from the foetus's different developmental stages.

First Trimester

• During the first trimester of pregnancy, the body prepares to carry the foetus. The woman's breasts grow and their conditioning for breastfeeding begins.
• Dizziness and nausea are frequent during this period, the cause of which is not precisely known.
• Also normal is an increased need to urinate due to the activity of certain hormones that generate a need to empty the bladder repeatedly.
• It may also be apparent that the waistline is beginning to fade.

Second Trimester

• This is the period when it first becomes noticeable that the woman is pregnant. The uterus now extends and the belly is noticeable.
• The heart rate is altered by changes in the circulatory system.

Third Trimester

• The skin stretches over the belly and very soft contractions begin to be felt.
• The uterus has grown and pushes on the bladder, which in some cases causes incontinence. 
• In this period, back pains become more recurrent. The large volume of the belly can often cause deformations of the spine.
• In some women, breathing difficulties and repeated fatigue can develop.
• It is also normal to develop haemorrhoids.

VITAL CHANGES

1. MENSTRUATION IS INTERRUPTED: Women with regular periods can notice this more easily.
2. DISCOMFORT: Itching of the breasts, nausea, dizziness and tiredness, even before the first month is finished.
3. THE UTERUS EXPANDS: At eight weeks, this is perceptible through a gynaecological examination.
4. MOVEMENTS ARE FELT: Beginning in the fourth month, it is possible to perceive the movements of the foetus's hands and feet by ultrasound.

THE BREAST

At the beginning of pregnancy, the increase in the hormone progesterone triggers the enlargement of the breasts, which increase by one size in the first six weeks.

NEW LIFE

The baby has grown from a mere embryo, and the woman's entire belly grows to accommodate this increase in size.