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.
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.
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.
“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:
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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