Chapter 1. The Experience of Pregnancy

Synopsis

Human Development Video Activity
true
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You must read each slide, and complete any questions on the slide, in sequence.
couvade syndrome
A condition in which the pregnant woman’s partner experiences symptoms of pregnancy.
gestation
Pregnancy, or the period of development between conception and birth.
trimester
One of the three-month-long stages of pregnancy.
quickening
The moment during pregnancy when the mother first feels her baby move inside her womb. Generally, quickening occurs around the start of the second trimester.
A pregnant woman with her stomach exposed facing a man with a balloon under his shirt that looks like a pregnant belly. They are smiling at each other.

The Experience of Pregnancy

A pregnant woman with her stomach exposed facing a man with a balloon under his shirt that looks like a pregnant belly. They are smiling at each other.

Author

Jean Raniseski, Alvin Community College
S. Stavros Valenti, Hofstra University

Synopsis

This activity discusses the general experience of pregnancy and details the experience of each of the three trimesters that make up the nine months of gestation, which is the time during which a fetus develops in the mother’s womb.

REFERENCES

Condon, J. T., Boyce, P., & Corkindale, C. J. (2004). The first-time fathers study: A prospective study of the mental health and well-being of men during the transition to parenthood. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 38, 56–64.

DiPietro, J. A., Ghera, M. M., & Costigan, K. (2004). Measuring the ups and downs of pregnancy stress. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 25, 189–201.

Glazier, R. H., Elgar, F. J., Goel, V., & Holzapfel, S. (2004). Stress, social support, and emotional distress in a community sample of pregnant women. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 25, 247–255.

King, S., & Laplante, D. P. (2005). The effects of prenatal maternal stress on children’s cognitive development: Project ice storm. Stress: The International Journal on the Biology of Stress, 8, 35–45.

Kroelinger, C. D., & Oths, K. S. (2000). Partner support and pregnancy wantedness. Birth: Issues in Prenatal Care, 27, 112–119.

Yali, A. M., & Lobel, M. (2002). Stress-resistance resources and coping in pregnancy. Anxiety, Stress & Coping, 15, 289–291.

Gestation and Trimesters

Three pregnant women with progressively larger bellies representing the first, second and third trimesters.

Gestation, more commonly known as pregnancy, typically lasts between 266 and 277 days, which is approximately nine months. Specialists have divided pregnancy into three segments. Each segment, or trimester, lasts approximately three months. The first through the third month make up the first trimester. The second trimester is comprised of the fourth through the sixth month. The seventh through the ninth month of pregnancy constitutes the third trimester.

The experience of pregnancy varies greatly from one woman to the next as well as from one trimester to the next. In this activity, you will hear from a variety of women as they speak about their pregnancies.

The First Trimester of Pregnancy

A woman who appears to be in her first trimester is gazing at her belly

The mother’s first trimester of pregnancy often begins with many of the following symptoms: nausea, feeling faint, having headaches, the need to urinate frequently, fatigue, increased breast size, glowing skin or acne, mood swings, and the cessation of the menstrual cycle. Women often believe that they have the flu or a virus only to find out that what they really have is a baby!

A pregnant woman is not always alone in the physical symptoms of her early pregnancy. Sometimes, an expectant father goes through couvade syndrome which means that he experiences “sympathetic pregnancy” and actually feels similar symptoms to the woman’s in his own body.

A Range of Emotions

A variety of emotions ranging from feelings of joy and excitement to feelings of anxiety and fear may accompany a woman’s discovery that she is pregnant. Since each reaction to the news that a baby is on the way is completely unique and individual, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to react. Also, consider that while pregnancies are exciting, they are not always planned.

Take some notes about this couple’s description of the first trimester of pregnancy for reference later in this activity. Note the mother’s description of her experience in comparison to the father’s.

The Second Trimester of Pregnancy

The second trimester, which covers months four through six, brings with it a new range of physical sensations and emotions. It is during this time that women typically gain additional weight and begin “showing” their pregnancy to the world.

By the 18th week of pregnancy, women are usually able to feel movement within their uterus. Quickening is a bubbly feeling inside the woman’s body that is her first sensation of the fetus moving. It is at this point that some women come to feel that the pregnancy experience becomes the most real.

Play the video to find out about the second trimester. Make some notes on the most prevalent experiences as described by these women.

The Third Trimester of Pregnancy

A pregnant woman who may be in her third trimester.

During the third trimester, the fetus is nearing full size and so is the mother’s stomach. As a result, women in their third trimester will often experience backaches, leg cramps, heartburn, indigestion, a relentless need to urinate, difficulty getting comfortable in bed and being able to sleep, and trouble sitting down and getting back up from chairs or couches.

The third trimester is not all bad. In the excitement of preparing for the baby’s arrival, parents tend to fall more and more toward love with the growing baby every day. These positive feelings go a long way in helping the fetus develop physically and cognitively to its fullest potential. A healthy and happy mother is more likely to have a happy and healthy baby.

Assessment: Check Your Understanding

A pregnant woman, who may be in her second trimester, is power walking.

Question 1.1

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That’s correct! Gestation lasts approximately nine months (266 to 277 days).
Sorry. Gestation lasts approximately nine months (266 to 277 days).

Assessment: Check Your Understanding

A pregnant woman who may be in her third trimester

Question 1.2

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That’s right! Couvade syndrome is the state of “sympathetic pregnancy” in which a man feels a woman’s pregnancy symptoms in his own body.
Sorry. Couvade syndrome is the state of “sympathetic pregnancy” in which a man feels a woman’s pregnancy symptoms in his own body.

Assessment: Check Your Understanding

A pregnant woman with her stomach exposed facing a man with a balloon under his shirt that looks like a pregnant belly. They are smiling at each other.

Question 1.3

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Correct. Women are often first alerted to the fact that they are pregnant by the feeling of nausea that they experience early in their pregnancy.
Incorrect. Women are often first alerted to the fact that they are pregnant by the feeling of nausea that they experience early in their pregnancy.

Assessment: Check Your Understanding

A woman who appears to be in her first trimester is gazing at her belly

Question 1.4

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Correct. During the second trimester, the fetus becomes more active, and the mother feels the bubble-like sensation of quickening that is the movement of the fetus.
Incorrect. During the second trimester, the fetus becomes more active, and the mother feels the bubble-like sensation of quickening that is the movement of the fetus.

Assessment: Check Your Understanding

A pregnant woman who may be in her third trimester

Question 1.5

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- First trimester may include experiencing the shock, anxiety, excitement, and all the emotions that go along with finding out that you are pregnant and sharing the news with others. The first physical symptoms may include feeling faint, having headaches, needing to urinate frequently, fatigue, increased breast size, mood swings, cessation of menstrual cycle, morning sickness, food aversions, and various aches and pains and even couvade syndrome for the fathers.
- Second trimester may include the first sensations of the fetus’s movement inside the mother’s body (quickening) and the woman’s enlarging stomach. As the pregnancy becomes visible to the outside world, pregnant women deal with the curiosity and excitement other people have toward the impending birth. At this point, the pregnancy may begin to feel more real to the parent(s).
- Third trimester may include the woman’s need to organize and create a nest for the soon-to-appear newborn, making decisions about the details of delivery and hospital stay, and physical symptoms involved with carrying a large, almost full-term baby, such as limited mobility, backaches, leg cramps, heartburn, indigestion, frequent urination, difficulty with sleep, and difficulty sitting down and/or getting up. Thinking about the responsibility of being so close to having a baby may cause anxiety but certainly some excitement and anticipation.

Congratulations! You have completed this activity. Total Score: x out of x points (x%) You have received a provisional score for your essay answers, which have been submitted to your instructor.