BLOG 30 – FAIRY TALE WITH A TWIST

Recap for Blog 30 – fairy tale with a twist: Midwife Miriam’s emails guide Zani and Jake through the wonder of their baby’s progress. Snuggling up to Jake, Zani listens as he continues to read what Miriam wrote on the first trimester: 0-12 weeks.

On a more serious note, the next few months will be an adventure for both of you – a little like a rally in unfamiliar country: the driver is more a part of the action, but without the support and navigation of the co-driver, the journey may seem hazardous. This is a team effort.

Never take your eyes off the purpose of falling pregnant – a healthy and intelligent baby. Keep that in mind every time you need to make a choice, whether that choice is physical (you simply have to have that cigarette, or sundowner, or run another marathon), emotional (feeling sick and tired of having to understand your partner’s needs) or intellectual (your birth options).

Remember that for now, Dr Cohen and I are part of your support team – together, this will be a journey of discovery filled with awe and wonder.

The covering letter has been signed, Miriam. But Miriam’s advice doesn’t end there.

Jake continues to read.

TRIMESTER ONE – WEEKS 1–2

Girl groomed, giggled and waited for boy
Boy arrived, shed his armour and scaled the walls
He fell to his knees and pledged his life and love forever more
In a moment of breathless delight they became one forever more

Huh? We look at each other. What’s this?

The other contenders were furiously beating at the door. Their fury and beating got the carriage going and sent the happy couple down the fallopian tube.

“Oh, I get it!” I laugh. “Miriam’s turned conception and the first two weeks into a bit of a fairy tale!”

Jake rolls his eyes. “Silly woman, although I must admit it makes a bit of a change from talking about Baby as a clump of cells or a blastocyst!”

The happy couple took the instruction to multiply and fill the earth rather seriously and soon their house was splitting at the seams with an ever-growing number of cells. One half was to become the kingdom (currently without address) and the other half all the king’s horses and all the king’s men (and woman).They found the perfect site with an excellent view, brilliant safety features and exceptional position, so they decided to set down roots.

That’s the end of Week 2,” Jake gauges, “and the embryo is safely implanted in the uterine wall, I guess.”

This is so exciting! I cuddle up even closer to my man and nudge him to read.

Our baby has already accomplished all of this. ‘Tick’ goes the pen on my mental checklist.

WEEK 3

• Embryo is 2 mm long
• It is a mystery how each cell knows what it is to become, seeing that all cells have the same code in their cell core, called a nucleus
• Development is focused on the three layers of cells from which all will develop.

“Now this is more how I like it!” Jake cheers. “Now her comment about cell migration also makes more sense.”

“Read on, Jake, this is the bit where Baby is in his or her development right at this moment!”

Being a graphic artist, Jake takes out his pen and sketches as fast as he reads:

WEEK 4

• Embryo is 6 mm long
• The embryo changes shape – from a disk to a tube
• The groove on the neural tube opens up, where the spinal cord will develop
• One end of the tube curls to form where the brain will be
• The other end forms a tail-like structure
• 40 small bumps appear between the brain area and tip of tail; numbers 32 and 33 will become vertebrae, and the rest will disappear with time
• 12 vertebrae at the chest area start to grow ribs around the primitive lungs
• Elastic tissue and muscles keep the backbone flexible
• Bunches of nerves form between vertebrae to later allow the senses and muscles to communicate with the brain
• The cardiovascular system is the first to function. Initially the heart only moves blood forward and backward, but by Day 25 the heart moves the blood in one direction and pumps blood to liver and aorta
• 6 projections grow between the mouth and heart to form the lower jaw, face and Neck
• The embryo is very sensitive to infections, alcohol or drugs because these can cross over the placenta
• No bone formation yet, only cartilage starts giving the embryo shape.

We are stunned. To think that this awesome miracle is unfolding deep inside me without my planning a thing, writing a list, or Jake offering any sage advice! How is that even possible? I don’t want to read on; all I want to do is to sit quietly and try to comprehend how this is all unfolding. Subconsciously, yes, I know that the chance of this pregnancy failing is still very real, but we have already decided to do the best we can and to allow nature to sort out the rest.

Nilsson, N and Hamberger, L. 1990. A child is born. London: Transworld Publishers Ltd.

Sadler, TW. 2006. Langman’s Medical Embryology. Maryland: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.

De Jager, M. 2019. brain development MILESTONES & learning. Johannesburg: Mind Moves Publishing.

Goddard, S. 2002. Reflexes, learning and behaviour. Oregon: Fern Ridge Press.

De Jager, M. 2019. Mind Moves: Removing barriers to learning. Johannesburg: Mind Moves Publishing.

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