C'mon, admit it. You have some "Pleasantville"-like images ofpregnancy. We all do. You know, cheeks and hearts glowing (even if our stomachsaren't). Reveling in the months, and inches, of our ever-expanding bellieswithout a worry or doubt. Invariably you even know somebody who seems to fitthe bill.

The truth is, women often experience a range of emotions during pregnancy,even if they and their partners are excited about the baby and planned it fromthe get-go. They might have mood swings. They might be worried about theirbabies' health, uncertain about the changes in their bodies, theirrelationships, their abilities to be mothers -- the list goes on and on.

How could that be, if you're apparently so happy about that tiny lifegrowing inside you? Duh, experts say (although they won't be thatblunt). It's because moms-to-be are teetering on the brink of somethingreally big.

"Motherhood is such a permanent transformation," says DeborahIssokson, a licensed psychologist in Boston who specializes in perinatal mentalhealth. "I don't know any life event so permanent and transforming thatwouldn't come with some anxiety, worry, regret, ambivalence or wondering. It'sthe nature of the beast, the enormity of the journey you're on."

Unfortunately, these less-than-glowing feelings are also among life'sbest-kept secrets. Everyone thinks on some level that they're not supposed tofeel these things, and if they do, something must be wrong with them.

"You look in the baby magazines, and there's the picture of the womanwho's beautiful and happy and she's setting up this incredibly expensivenursery. ... We look at all of that and wonder why we don't fit in," saysJennifer Louden, author of "The Pregnant Woman's Comfort Book."

For women who have experienced infertility or miscarriage, such guilt ordisillusionment can be worse, because they may not think they deserve anydoubts. "They don't dare voice their ambivalence or wonderings, becausepeople would just say, 'You should just be grateful you're pregnant,'"Issokson says.

But take a deep breath and relax. These feelings aren't necessarily areflection of how badly you want your baby or how good a parent you'll be. Infact, Issokson worries more about couples who don't feel any of these things."To me that means they're a little bit in denial about how enormous thischange really is."

Here's a look at some women, and men, who were thrust onto the emotionalroller coaster of pregnancy and some tips on how to still enjoy the ride.

Honey, I'm Home

Simon D'Arcy, a management consultant in Santa Barbara, Calif., clearlyremembers his wife Sharon's pregnancies. "The mood shifts were prettyamazing. There were times when I'd call before leaving work and say, 'How wasyour day? How are you feeling? Did you feel the baby kick?' She'd say, 'Fine,honey. I can't wait for you to come home.' Ten minutes later I'd walk in thehouse and get it with both barrels."