Understanding Early Pregnancy Signs and Body Changes
Recognizing the early signs of pregnancy can be both exciting and confusing for many women. Pregnancy symptoms vary dramatically from person to person, with some experiencing numerous physical changes while others notice very few indicators before a positive pregnancy test. The body undergoes significant hormonal shifts following conception, triggering a cascade of changes that can manifest as early as one to two weeks after fertilization. Understanding these symptoms, their timeline, and what they mean can help individuals identify pregnancy early and seek appropriate prenatal care.
The most reliable early indicator of pregnancy remains a missed period, particularly for women with regular menstrual cycles. However, numerous other symptoms often appear before or alongside this hallmark sign, including breast tenderness, fatigue, nausea, and frequent urination. These changes result primarily from rising levels of hormones, particularly human chorionic gonadotropin, progesterone, and estrogen, which work together to sustain pregnancy and prepare the body for nurturing a developing fetus. While these symptoms can provide important clues, they are not definitive proof of pregnancy, as many can also result from premenstrual syndrome, stress, hormonal imbalances, or other health conditions.
Every pregnancy journey is unique, and comparing symptoms between individuals or even between different pregnancies for the same person can be misleading. Some women experience severe morning sickness that persists throughout the day, while others never feel nauseated. Some notice breast changes immediately, while others see no physical differences for weeks. This variability underscores the importance of using pregnancy tests and medical confirmation rather than relying solely on symptoms to determine pregnancy status. Understanding common symptoms, when they typically appear, and which signs warrant medical attention helps women navigate early pregnancy with greater confidence and ensures timely access to prenatal care.
Most Common Early Pregnancy Symptoms
Missed Period: The Primary Indicator
A missed period represents the most obvious and common early symptom of pregnancy, prompting most women to take their first pregnancy test. Once conception occurs, the body produces hormones that halt ovulation and prevent the shedding of the uterine lining, effectively stopping the menstrual cycle until after childbirth. For women with regular monthly cycles, a period that is even a few days late can indicate possible pregnancy. The timing typically aligns with approximately four weeks after conception or about two weeks following fertilization, though individual variation exists.
However, missing a period does not automatically confirm pregnancy, as numerous other factors can disrupt menstrual regularity. Significant weight gain or loss, excessive exercise, hormonal imbalances, extreme stress, fatigue, thyroid disorders, and discontinuing hormonal birth control can all cause delayed or absent periods. Certain medications, including some antidepressants and blood pressure medications, may also affect menstrual timing. Women approaching menopause may experience increasingly irregular cycles that can be mistaken for pregnancy-related amenorrhea. When a period is late and pregnancy is possible based on recent sexual activity, taking a home pregnancy test provides the most practical first step toward confirmation.
Some women experience light bleeding or spotting during early pregnancy, which can be confused with a very light period. This phenomenon, known as implantation bleeding, occurs when the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine wall, typically six to twelve days after conception. Implantation bleeding is usually much lighter than a normal period, appearing as pink, red, or brown spotting that lasts only a few hours to a few days and does not increase in flow. Understanding the distinction between implantation bleeding and menstruation helps women interpret their symptoms more accurately and avoid overlooking possible pregnancy when unusual bleeding occurs around the expected period date.
Breast Changes and Tenderness
Breast changes rank among the earliest pregnancy symptoms, sometimes appearing as soon as two to three days after conception. Hormonal fluctuations cause breasts to feel fuller, heavier, swollen, and tender to touch. Many women describe a tingling sensation or increased sensitivity, particularly around the nipples. The sensations closely resemble those experienced before menstruation but often feel more intense and persistent. Bras may feel tighter as breast tissue expands, and even gentle contact or movement can cause discomfort for some women during early pregnancy.
Beyond size and sensitivity changes, pregnancy triggers visible alterations in breast appearance. The areola, the pigmented circle surrounding the nipple, often becomes darker and may increase in diameter. Small bumps on the areola called Montgomery’s tubercles become more prominent, appearing as raised spots that help lubricate the breast during nursing. Veins beneath the breast skin become more visible as blood flow increases to support developing milk-producing tissue. These changes intensify throughout the first trimester as the body prepares for eventual breastfeeding, though they typically become less noticeable by the second trimester as the body adjusts to elevated hormone levels.
While breast tenderness and changes are common pregnancy indicators, they can also occur due to premenstrual hormonal fluctuations, making them unreliable as standalone pregnancy symptoms. Women who track their cycles may notice that pregnancy-related breast changes feel different or last longer than typical premenstrual symptoms. The combination of breast changes with other symptoms like missed periods or nausea provides stronger evidence of possible pregnancy than breast symptoms alone. Women experiencing severe breast pain, lumps, or discharge should consult healthcare providers to rule out other conditions requiring medical attention.
Fatigue and Exhaustion
Overwhelming fatigue frequently appears as one of the earliest pregnancy symptoms, sometimes beginning within the first week after conception. Many newly pregnant women describe feeling utterly exhausted despite adequate sleep, struggling to stay awake during the day or feeling the need for frequent naps. This profound tiredness results primarily from dramatically elevated progesterone levels, which have sedative effects on the body. Progesterone surges during early pregnancy to maintain the uterine lining and support fetal development, but this essential hormone simultaneously slows metabolic processes and can make women feel sluggish and drowsy.
Additional factors compound pregnancy-related fatigue during the first trimester. The body produces significantly more blood to supply oxygen and nutrients to the developing fetus, requiring the heart to work harder and pump faster, beating ten to twenty beats more per minute than before pregnancy. Blood pressure typically drops during early pregnancy as blood vessels dilate, which can contribute to feelings of dizziness and tiredness. The body also redirects considerable energy toward building the placenta, the organ that will nourish the baby throughout pregnancy. All these physiological changes demand enormous resources, leaving many women feeling depleted even when performing routine daily activities.
Pregnancy fatigue typically improves during the second trimester as the body adjusts to hormonal changes and energy levels normalize. However, exhaustion often returns in the third trimester due to the physical demands of carrying increased weight, sleep disturbances from discomfort and frequent urination, and the body’s final preparations for labor and delivery. Women experiencing fatigue should prioritize rest, maintain balanced nutrition, stay hydrated, and engage in gentle exercise as tolerated. Extreme fatigue accompanied by dizziness, shortness of breath, or pale skin may indicate anemia or other complications requiring medical evaluation.
Digestive and Urinary System Changes
Morning Sickness and Nausea
Morning sickness, characterized by nausea and sometimes vomiting, affects more than half of all pregnant women, typically beginning around four to six weeks of pregnancy. Despite its name, this miserable symptom can strike at any time of day or night, with many women experiencing constant queasiness throughout their waking hours. The nausea ranges from mild queasiness that comes and goes to severe vomiting that makes it difficult to keep down food or liquids. Some women only feel nauseated but never actually vomit, while others experience frequent vomiting episodes that significantly impact their daily functioning and quality of life.
The exact cause of morning sickness remains incompletely understood, though it clearly relates to the dramatic hormonal changes occurring during early pregnancy. Rising levels of human chorionic gonadotropin and estrogen both likely contribute to nausea. Enhanced sense of smell during pregnancy, probably an evolutionary adaptation to protect the fetus from potentially harmful foods, can trigger nausea when women encounter previously tolerable odors. Low blood sugar levels, which occur more frequently during pregnancy, may also play a role. Some researchers theorize that morning sickness serves a protective function, causing pregnant women to avoid foods that could harbor bacteria or toxins harmful to developing fetuses.
For most women, morning sickness symptoms peak between weeks eight and eleven of pregnancy, then gradually improve during the second trimester, with most cases resolving by week fourteen to sixteen. However, some women continue experiencing nausea and vomiting throughout pregnancy. While morning sickness causes considerable discomfort, it generally does not harm the baby, and ironically, some studies suggest that women with morning sickness may have lower rates of miscarriage. However, severe morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum, which causes relentless vomiting, dehydration, and weight loss, requires immediate medical treatment to protect both mother and baby. Women who cannot keep down food or fluids for twenty-four hours should contact their healthcare providers promptly.
Frequent Urination
Frequent urination often begins surprisingly early in pregnancy, even before a missed period in some cases. Women may find themselves needing to urinate more often both day and night, disrupting sleep and daily activities. This symptom results from multiple physiological changes occurring during pregnancy. The body produces approximately fifty percent more blood during pregnancy to support the growing fetus, requiring kidneys to filter substantially increased blood volume and creating more urine as a byproduct. This blood volume increase begins early in pregnancy, explaining why urinary frequency starts before the uterus grows large enough to press on the bladder.
Hormonal changes also contribute to increased urination during early pregnancy. Progesterone relaxes smooth muscle throughout the body, including the bladder, reducing its capacity to hold urine and creating more frequent urges to empty. Additionally, pregnancy hormones increase kidney blood flow by twenty-five to forty percent, boosting urine production. These factors combine to send pregnant women to the bathroom significantly more often than before pregnancy, sometimes needing to urinate every hour during the day and waking multiple times overnight, which compounds pregnancy-related fatigue.
Frequent urination typically improves somewhat during the second trimester when the expanding uterus rises into the abdominal cavity, relieving some pressure on the bladder. However, the symptom returns with a vengeance during the third trimester when the baby’s head descends into the pelvis in preparation for birth, pressing directly on the bladder and reducing its capacity. While frequent urination alone causes significant inconvenience, pregnant women should watch for signs of urinary tract infections, which occur more commonly during pregnancy and include burning during urination, pelvic pain, or cloudy, foul-smelling urine requiring prompt antibiotic treatment.
Food Cravings and Aversions
Food preferences often change dramatically during early pregnancy, with women developing intense cravings for specific foods while simultaneously finding previously enjoyed items suddenly repulsive. These cravings and aversions can begin within the first few weeks of pregnancy and vary wildly between individuals. Some women crave common combinations like pickles and ice cream, while others desire unusual pairings or specific foods they rarely ate before pregnancy. Cravings may focus on sweet, salty, sour, or spicy foods, and intensity ranges from mild preferences to overwhelming urges that dominate thoughts until satisfied.
Food aversions often prove even more striking than cravings, causing strong negative reactions to smells or tastes that previously seemed neutral or pleasant. Coffee, meat, eggs, and strong-smelling vegetables commonly trigger aversions during pregnancy. Even thinking about certain foods can provoke nausea in some women. The heightened sense of smell that accompanies pregnancy intensifies these reactions, causing foods, perfumes, cleaning products, or other environmental odors to become suddenly intolerable. These aversions likely serve evolutionary purposes, steering pregnant women away from foods more likely to contain harmful bacteria or toxins that could threaten fetal development.
Nutritional deficiencies sometimes underlie pregnancy cravings, with the body signaling needs for specific nutrients. Craving red meat might indicate iron deficiency, while desires for dairy products could reflect calcium needs. However, many cravings lack clear nutritional explanations and may simply result from hormonal influences on taste perception and appetite regulation. While most cravings and aversions are harmless, women should avoid unpasteurized dairy products, raw or undercooked meat and eggs, and high-mercury fish during pregnancy. Pica, the craving for non-food substances like ice, dirt, or laundry starch, requires medical evaluation as it may indicate serious nutritional deficiencies requiring treatment.
Physical and Emotional Changes in Early Pregnancy
Implantation Bleeding and Cramping
Implantation bleeding occurs when the fertilized egg burrows into the uterine lining, typically six to twelve days after conception or around the time a woman expects her period. Not all women experience implantation bleeding, but those who do typically notice light spotting or a small amount of pinkish, red, or brownish discharge that lasts anywhere from a few hours to a few days. The bleeding remains much lighter than a normal menstrual period, usually appearing as spots when wiping or requiring only a pantyliner rather than a pad or tampon. The timing often causes confusion, as women may mistake it for an unusually light period or the beginning of normal menstruation.
Cramping frequently accompanies implantation bleeding as the fertilized egg embeds itself in the uterine wall. These cramps typically feel milder than menstrual cramps, though some women experience moderate to strong cramping that feels similar to premenstrual discomfort. The cramping usually centers in the lower abdomen and may be felt on one side more than the other, depending on where implantation occurs. Like implantation bleeding, these cramps typically last only one to three days. Women who experience implantation bleeding and cramping followed by a missed period have strong reason to suspect pregnancy and should take a home pregnancy test.
Distinguishing implantation bleeding from other causes of irregular bleeding requires attention to timing, color, and amount. Implantation bleeding occurs before a missed period, appears lighter in color and quantity than normal menstruation, and does not include tissue or clots. Bleeding that occurs after a positive pregnancy test, increases in heaviness, includes clots, or accompanies severe cramping requires immediate medical evaluation to rule out miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. Any bleeding during pregnancy warrants discussion with a healthcare provider to ensure both mother and baby remain healthy and to identify any complications requiring intervention.
Mood Changes and Emotional Fluctuations
Mood changes affect many women during early pregnancy, manifesting as emotional volatility, irritability, anxiety, or unexplained crying episodes. Some women feel elated and euphoric about their pregnancy, while others struggle with unexpected sadness or worry. These emotional swings can occur within minutes, leaving women feeling tearful one moment and joyful the next. The rapid hormonal fluctuations characteristic of early pregnancy directly influence brain chemistry and neurotransmitter levels, affecting emotional regulation and stress responses. Estrogen and progesterone both interact with mood-regulating brain chemicals including serotonin and dopamine, creating the emotional rollercoaster many pregnant women experience.
Beyond hormonal influences, psychological factors contribute significantly to emotional changes during early pregnancy. Women may feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of becoming a parent, worried about pregnancy complications or health outcomes, stressed about financial implications, or anxious about how pregnancy will affect relationships and career trajectories. Even planned, wanted pregnancies can trigger ambivalent feelings or anxiety about the future. Sleep disruption from frequent urination and physical discomfort compounds emotional challenges, as fatigue reduces emotional resilience and coping capacity. For women facing unplanned pregnancies or difficult life circumstances, emotional distress may be even more pronounced.
While mild mood fluctuations are normal during pregnancy, persistent sadness, hopelessness, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, changes in sleep or appetite unrelated to typical pregnancy symptoms, or thoughts of self-harm indicate possible prenatal depression requiring professional treatment. Approximately one in ten pregnant women experience depression during pregnancy, a serious condition that affects both maternal wellbeing and fetal development. Women experiencing persistent low mood should contact their healthcare provider immediately, as effective treatments including therapy and certain medications can safely be used during pregnancy. Early intervention improves outcomes for both mother and baby, making it crucial not to dismiss emotional symptoms as merely hormonal.
Timeline of Pregnancy Symptom Appearance
Weeks One to Four After Conception
The first two weeks of pregnancy, medically calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period, actually occur before conception, as ovulation typically happens around day fourteen of a twenty-eight-day cycle. True pregnancy symptoms cannot appear before conception and implantation occur. At approximately two weeks pregnant by medical dating, ovulation occurs and conception may take place if sperm meets egg. Most women experience no symptoms at this point, though some notice mild pelvic discomfort or increased vaginal discharge around ovulation. Any symptoms felt during this time frame relate to ovulation rather than pregnancy, as the embryo has not yet implanted and pregnancy hormones have not yet begun rising.
By three weeks pregnant, roughly one week after conception, implantation may be occurring as the embryo travels down the fallopian tube and burrows into the uterine lining. Some women notice implantation bleeding or mild cramping during this time, though many experience no symptoms whatsoever. Human chorionic gonadotropin begins being produced once implantation occurs, but levels remain too low for most women to feel any effects yet. Home pregnancy tests cannot yet detect pregnancy at three weeks, as hormone levels have not risen sufficiently. A small number of women report mild fatigue or slight breast tenderness beginning during week three, though these symptoms remain subtle.
At four weeks pregnant, approximately the time when the next period would be due, pregnancy symptoms begin becoming noticeable for many women. A missed period represents the most obvious sign, prompting women to take pregnancy tests. Home pregnancy tests can now detect elevated human chorionic gonadotropin levels in urine, providing positive results for many women. Breast tenderness often intensifies, fatigue becomes more pronounced, and some women begin experiencing nausea or food aversions. Frequent urination may start as blood volume begins increasing. However, some women still experience minimal symptoms at four weeks, and absence of symptoms does not indicate problems with the pregnancy. The range of normal symptom experiences remains extremely broad throughout early pregnancy.
When to Take a Pregnancy Test
Understanding optimal pregnancy test timing helps avoid false negative results that occur when testing too early. Home pregnancy tests detect human chorionic gonadotropin in urine, but this hormone needs time to rise to detectable levels after conception. Most standard home pregnancy tests can detect pregnancy approximately one week after a missed period, which corresponds to about three weeks after conception or five weeks into pregnancy by medical dating. Testing at this time provides the most reliable results for most women using standard-sensitivity tests available at drugstores.
Early detection pregnancy tests claim to identify pregnancy several days before a missed period, with some advertising detection capabilities up to six days before the expected period. These tests use more sensitive technology to detect lower hormone levels, though their accuracy increases the closer to the expected period date a woman tests. Testing too early increases the likelihood of false negative results, as hormone levels may not have risen sufficiently for detection even when pregnancy has occurred. Women who receive negative results but do not get their expected period should retest one week later, as hormone levels double approximately every forty-eight to seventy-two hours during early pregnancy, making detection increasingly likely with time.
The timing of testing should account for individual cycle variation and the fact that ovulation does not always occur exactly mid-cycle. Women with irregular cycles may have difficulty determining when to test, as they cannot reliably predict when a period should arrive. For these women, testing approximately three weeks after unprotected intercourse provides a reasonable guideline. Taking multiple tests several days apart increases confidence in results. Blood tests performed by healthcare providers can detect pregnancy slightly earlier than home urine tests and provide quantitative hormone measurements that help assess pregnancy viability, making them useful when early detection is important or when pregnancy complications are suspected.
Less Common But Important Pregnancy Symptoms
Basal Body Temperature Changes
Women who track their basal body temperature for fertility awareness may notice that their temperature remains elevated beyond the usual two-week post-ovulation increase. Normally, basal body temperature rises approximately 0.5 to 1 degree Fahrenheit after ovulation due to progesterone’s effects, then drops again when the next menstrual period begins. During pregnancy, progesterone levels continue rising rather than falling, keeping basal body temperature elevated. Sustained elevated temperature for more than eighteen days after ovulation provides a strong early indicator of pregnancy for women who meticulously track their temperatures using appropriate thermometers and methods.
Some pregnant women also report feeling generally warmer than usual or experiencing hot flashes during early pregnancy, though this symptom is less common than typical pregnancy signs. Increased blood volume and elevated metabolism contribute to these sensations. However, actual fever, defined as temperature above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, is never a normal pregnancy symptom and requires immediate medical evaluation. Fever during pregnancy, particularly during the first trimester, can indicate infection requiring treatment to protect both mother and developing fetus. Women experiencing fever should contact their healthcare providers promptly regardless of pregnancy status.
Constipation and Bloating
Digestive changes including constipation and bloating commonly occur during early pregnancy, though these symptoms rarely receive as much attention as nausea or fatigue. Elevated progesterone levels relax smooth muscle throughout the body, including the intestines, slowing the movement of food through the digestive tract. This slower transit time allows more complete nutrient absorption, benefiting the developing fetus, but also removes more water from stool, creating harder, more difficult-to-pass bowel movements. Many women notice their abdomen feels fuller or more bloated than usual, even before the uterus has expanded enough to show visible pregnancy.
Iron supplements, which healthcare providers often prescribe during pregnancy to prevent anemia, can worsen constipation for many women. Prenatal vitamins may also contribute to digestive discomfort. Women experiencing constipation should increase fluid intake, consume more fiber-rich foods including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and engage in regular gentle exercise, all of which promote healthy digestive function. Severe constipation or abdominal pain requires medical evaluation, as it may indicate complications requiring treatment. Over-the-counter laxatives should not be used during pregnancy without healthcare provider approval, as some types may not be safe for developing fetuses.
Dizziness and Lightheadedness
Dizziness and lightheadedness affect many pregnant women, particularly during the first trimester, resulting from cardiovascular changes that occur early in pregnancy. Blood vessels dilate and blood volume increases, but the expanded volume takes time to develop fully, creating a temporary mismatch that can lower blood pressure. When blood pressure drops, particularly upon standing quickly or remaining standing for extended periods, insufficient blood reaches the brain temporarily, causing sensations of dizziness, lightheadedness, or even fainting. The heart compensates by beating faster, but some women still experience occasional dizzy spells.
Low blood sugar levels, which occur more easily during pregnancy due to increased metabolic demands and sometimes reduced food intake from nausea, also contribute to dizziness. Pregnant women should eat small, frequent meals to maintain stable blood sugar and avoid prolonged periods without eating. Anemia, which develops when the body cannot produce sufficient red blood cells to keep pace with increased blood volume, can also cause dizziness along with fatigue and pale skin. Women experiencing frequent or severe dizziness, dizziness accompanied by vaginal bleeding or abdominal pain, or fainting episodes should seek immediate medical evaluation to rule out serious complications including ectopic pregnancy or other conditions requiring urgent treatment.
When to Contact a Healthcare Provider
While many pregnancy symptoms cause discomfort but do not indicate serious problems, certain warning signs require immediate medical attention. Severe abdominal pain, particularly if localized to one side, may indicate ectopic pregnancy, a life-threatening condition where the embryo implants outside the uterus, most commonly in a fallopian tube. Ectopic pregnancy requires emergency treatment and cannot result in a viable pregnancy. Heavy vaginal bleeding, particularly if accompanied by cramping or passing tissue, may indicate miscarriage or other complications. Any bleeding during pregnancy warrants contact with a healthcare provider, though light spotting often proves benign.
Severe, persistent vomiting that prevents keeping down food or fluids for twenty-four hours requires medical evaluation for possible hyperemesis gravidarum, which can cause dangerous dehydration and requires treatment. Sudden severe headaches, vision changes including blurred vision or seeing spots, significant swelling in the face or hands, or upper abdominal pain may indicate preeclampsia, a serious condition involving high blood pressure that threatens both mother and baby. Fever above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, painful urination, or symptoms of infection require prompt treatment. Women experiencing any concerning symptoms should never hesitate to contact their healthcare providers, as early intervention for pregnancy complications dramatically improves outcomes.
Even without concerning symptoms, women should schedule their first prenatal appointment as soon as they confirm pregnancy, ideally within the first eight weeks. Early prenatal care allows healthcare providers to assess pregnancy viability, estimate due dates accurately, identify any risk factors requiring special attention, prescribe appropriate prenatal vitamins, and provide education about healthy pregnancy practices. First prenatal visits typically include physical examination, blood tests to check for anemia and other conditions, discussion of medical history, and often an ultrasound to confirm pregnancy location and dating. Regular prenatal care throughout pregnancy remains one of the most important factors in ensuring healthy outcomes for both mothers and babies.
Conclusion
Recognizing and understanding pregnancy symptoms empowers women to identify pregnancy early and seek appropriate medical care. The most common early symptoms include missed periods, breast tenderness, fatigue, nausea, frequent urination, and food cravings or aversions, typically appearing within the first few weeks after conception. However, pregnancy symptom experiences vary dramatically between individuals, with some women noticing numerous changes while others experience minimal indicators. This variability is completely normal, and the presence or absence of symptoms does not necessarily indicate pregnancy health or viability.
The timeline of symptom appearance generally follows hormonal changes, with most symptoms becoming noticeable around four to six weeks of pregnancy, though some women notice signs as early as one to two weeks after conception. Implantation bleeding and cramping may occur within the first week after fertilization, while morning sickness typically begins around weeks four to six. Most symptoms improve during the second trimester as the body adjusts to pregnancy, though some persist or return later in pregnancy. Understanding this typical timeline helps women interpret their experiences and know when pregnancy testing is most likely to provide accurate results.
While many pregnancy symptoms cause discomfort and inconvenience, most do not indicate serious problems and improve over time or with simple management strategies. However, certain warning signs including severe abdominal pain, heavy bleeding, persistent severe vomiting, high fever, severe headaches with vision changes, or signs of infection require immediate medical attention. Women should never hesitate to contact healthcare providers with concerns, as prompt evaluation and treatment of pregnancy complications can be lifesaving for both mother and baby. Early, regular prenatal care remains essential for monitoring pregnancy health and ensuring the best possible outcomes.
Ultimately, home pregnancy tests provide the most reliable method for confirming pregnancy when symptoms appear, with optimal testing occurring approximately one week after a missed period for most accurate results. Women with positive tests should schedule prenatal appointments promptly to begin pregnancy monitoring and receive guidance about healthy pregnancy practices. Understanding that pregnancy symptoms vary widely, that every pregnancy is unique, and that medical confirmation provides the most definitive answers helps women navigate early pregnancy with greater confidence and ensures they receive the care needed for healthy pregnancy journeys.
