Description

Pregnancy, though being a state associated with extreme joy and happiness, it is also a period of physical and emotional transition in women. Since reproductive events are associated with substantial hormonal changes and subsequent mood swings, some may perceive it as stressful if aligned with other adverse environment. This makes her extremely vulnerable psychologically and biologically to the repercussions and they may experience a heightened amount of stress and depression during his period (Weinstock, 2008; Weerth & Buitelaar, 2005). This chapter presents an overview of various concerns women have during their pregnancy, their experiences and commonly used measures to assess stress among pregnant women along with it's limitations. The chapter also gives a glimpse of physiological aspects of prenatal stress along with its potential risks on foetal neural development and adverse birth outcomes such as preterm delivery, low birth weight and other neurodevelopmental issues.

Pregnancy and Transition to Motherhood

Pregnancy or gestation that occurs by sexual intercourse or by assisted reproductive technology is a state during which women carries a foetus in uterus (NICHD, 2013). Pregnancy lasts around 40 weeks and ends with childbirth. Although the average duration of pregnancy is 39- 40 weeks, pregnancy is typically divided into three stages or trimesters. The total duration is 42 weeks and each trimester is defined as period of 14 weeks. The experience of women in each of these trimesters varies, and this needs a brief description.

No matter how well a woman is prepared for her pregnancy, the first trimester is a period of constant irritants for many. Many symptoms and discomforts of pregnancy (Campbell & Klocke, 2001) are entirely normal, including cardiovascular, hematologic, metabolic, renal, and respiratory changes and don't significantly interfere with activities of daily life or pose a threat to the health of the baby or the mother unless she is exposed to any intrauterine risks.