Pregnancy

Overview

In this section you can find out about the experience of pregnancy, by listening to people share their personal stories on film. Our researchers travelled all around the UK to talk to 51 people (including some male partners) in their own homes. Analysis of 9 new interviews were added in 2017 to update the experiences on the site. Find out what people said about issues such as symptoms and feelings in early weeks, emotions during pregnancy, complications and birth. We hope you find the information helpful and reassuring.

You may also be interested in our other antenatal screening section.

Pregnancy - Preview

SHOW TEXT VERSION

PRINT TRANSCRIPT

Interview 24: I felt really great when I discovered I was pregnant. My husband was really excited too.

Interview 9: I suddenly had this weird taste in my mouth, which I’d sort of had over the last couple days, and I suddenly -, it was suddenly like a light bulb came on. It was like ah I read that in a book. You can get like a metallic taste if you're pregnant.

Interview 10: Because I wanted to know everything [laughs] about what was going to happen to me, all the different stages of pregnancy and what was going on inside me.

Interview 9: Well, it’s like the nausea is the, is the worst thing for the first trimester, and then that goes and you think, “Oh wow”. And then everything seems okay for a while.

Interview 33: I had a bit of backache but nothing, just uncomfortable and uncomfortable in bed.

Interview 16: And it was, without question, the most wonderful experience ever.

This section is from research by the University of Oxford.

Supported by:
Department of Health - Section 64 Grant

Publication date: October 2005
Last updated: May 2017