Blogs
January 25, 2021
In blog 80, Zani is torn between choosing pain relief and trusting nature to give her what she needs to bring Brandon safely into the world. […]
January 18, 2021
In blog 79, Jake and an intensely emotional Zani head for the hospital. The dilation process is well underway, but then Zani becomes quite impossible. Will […]
January 4, 2021
In blog 78, Jake learns all about catecholamine and how the stress involved in natural birth benefits Baby. He also discovers when this stress can turn […]
December 29, 2020
In blog 77, Zani snuggles up to Jake while he makes sure he knows how the onset of labour takes place, which hormones play a role, […]
December 22, 2020
In blog 76, all Zani’s old insecurities come rushing back. Fortunately, she needn’t face the labour process on her own: apart from Vee, Miriam and Jake, […]
December 14, 2020
In blog 75, Zani is deeply touched by Sky’s imaginative way of ensuring that, during labour, many will be praying for her and Brandon. And then, […]
December 8, 2020
In blog 74: At antenatal class, Tina provides the men with tools for labour. Jake learns that he has an important role to play too. At […]
December 1, 2020
In blog 73: Much to her relief, Zani discovers that understanding the mechanism of labour and the function of labour pain calms her fears (somewhat) and […]
November 24, 2020
In blog 72: How come we have 4,2 million receptors in the body to register pain, and not a single receptor to register happiness or joy? […]
November 17, 2020
In blog 71: Zani blurts out that when she thinks of Brandon’s birth, all she can see is one huge word in flickering red neon lights: […]
November 9, 2020
In blog 70: Sky’s view of birth and whether a baby feels welcome and able to relax – or stressed out and painfully alone – strikes […]
November 2, 2020
In blog 69: Sky explains that a mother’s love flicks a switch in a baby’s brain that says: ‘I am not alone. My mom has my […]
October 26, 2020
In blog 68: Zani and Jake are mesmerised by Sky’s take on pain – “more pain, more joy, and less pain, less joy.” What does this […]
October 20, 2020
In blog 67 – Pain, a gift none of us wants and yet none of us can do without: At lunch Sky continues her story about […]
October 13, 2020
In blog 66 – a little paradise in Joburg: Zani discovers the type of garden she never knew existed. When we turn into the driveway, Sky […]
October 6, 2020
In blog 65 – the heart of an alpha male: What Zani has learnt about men – or rather about her man – involves food, wrestling […]
September 29, 2020
In blog 64 – A paediatrician who respects mother and baby: Zani comes across a couple of facts to which she can only react with a […]
September 22, 2020
In blog 63 – will it be a smooth and easy, or painful, even violent birth? : Zani feels panicky, because a mother is said to […]
September 15, 2020
In blog 62: Shaping a little personality: Zani is not sure she buys into the idea that a mom’s smell on the blanket in an incubator […]
September 8, 2020
In blog 61: Primitive reflexes – Your baby’s friends, but your child’s enemies: Zani simply cannot get through a normal workday anymore. She figures out what […]
September 1, 2020
In blog 60: Powerful words by Eugene Marais Jake is all fired up to research Eugene Marais’ view of the relationship between pain during childbirth and […]
August 25, 2020
In blog 59: Blood, sweat and sweetness, Zani and Jake are reminded of the fact that even precious little angels leave “paw prints” – and then, […]
August 18, 2020
In blog 58: Birth Pain – does it have a physiological role, or just plain uncivilised? Although Zani is anything but thrilled at Sky’s unusual take […]
August 11, 2020
In blog 57 – Birth pain: A topic with a bad rap: Zani is amazed to find that there is a connection between birth pain and […]
August 4, 2020
In Blog 56 – Recapturing the mystery of pregnancy and the wonder of birth … Sitting at the Two Tarts, drinking in the peaceful atmosphere, the last […]
July 28, 2020
Recap for Blog 55 – She wears the whole rainbow: What on earth is the mommy brain? And how come it’s in the heart, not the head? We […]
July 21, 2020
Recap for Blog 54 -Waterproof babies and leaking breasts: When Zani phones Jake, simply bursting with news, Jake asks – he actually asks – who Brandon might […]
July 14, 2020
Recap for Blog 53 – Why a baby needs to crawl: Sooner or later, Zani will be faced with yet another decision: to buy, or not […]
July 7, 2020
Recap for Blog 52 – Can I be a lover and a mother at the same time?: Zani realises how pregnancy has reawakened her own need for […]
June 30, 2020
Recap for blog 51 – The mom we yearn for: Things are moving fast! Zani and Jake have decided where to birth Brandon – yes, that is […]
June 23, 2020
Recap for Blog 50 – Two big decisions: Jake takes the mother of his son (100% pure Jake the Second!) to dinner. A celebration does not necessarily […]
June 16, 2020
Recap for Blog 49 – The big softie: The midwife and the obstetrician answer every single question on Zani’s list. Now Jake needs to be informed that […]
June 9, 2020
Recap for Blog 48 – Decisions decisions : During show time at the gynae’s rooms, Baby pulls faces, sucks thumb, moves the umbilical cord, kicks, turns and then […]
June 2, 2020
Recap for Blog 47 – No more he or she-ing : Zani can hardly wait for D-Day, when she and Jake will find out whether Baby is a […]
May 26, 2020
Recap for Blog 46 – And now this : Although Zani easily drifts off while listening to Dr Melodie de Jager’s interview, she manages to grasp that the […]
May 19, 2020
Recap for Blog 45 – Tiny toes start flexing!: Zani knows the more she moves during the first 100 days of pregnancy the more her little one […]
May 12, 2020
Recap for Blog 43 – Move, mommy, move!: Zani and Jake are getting to know the Tonic Labyrinthine reflex, which straightens out the baby’s posture, nudging it […]
May 5, 2020
Recap for Blog 43 – Straightening out: Zani now knows which reflex plays a dominant role in Baby’s emotional development, and that sucking and suckling are not […]
April 28, 2020
Recap for Blog 42 – The perfect start to positive emotions: Zani discovers that a baby actually practises eating while in utero, and Vee shares her wonder […]
April 21, 2020
Recap for Blog 41- Suddenly everyone knows!: After The Scan, Zani and Jake finally phone the grandparents to be with their momentous news. Zani, however, desperately needs […]
April 14, 2020
Recap for Blog 40 – At last! : Zani is starting to feel herself again, and revels in the developmental milestones involved in Week 11 and Week 12. […]
April 7, 2020
Recap for Blog 39 – A real little human being in there!: In her first trimester, once Zani grasps the importance of the Moro reflex, she […]
March 31, 2020
Recap for Blog 38 – Go ahead, touch your tummy! : Zani and Jake discover that the innate ability to learn has a neural development basis and if […]
March 24, 2020
Recap for Blog 37 – discovering the primitive reflexes: Jake and Zani listen to Baby’s heartbeat for the first time and celebrate by letting Vee in on […]
March 17, 2020
Recap for Blog 36 – Already eight weeks in: When Zani learns that our eyes and ears fire up our thinking brain, while touch, smell and […]
March 10, 2020
Recap for Blog 35 – My eyes and my ears said yes!: Zani learns why an expectant mom can feel big and ugly, even when the mirror […]
March 3, 2020
Recap for Blog 34 – Why am I feeling so huge?: Zani can only marvel at the way the three parts of Baby’s brain and its […]
February 25, 2020
Recap for Blog 33 – So that’s why I’m constantly hungry!: When Zani learns that an expectant mother’s feelings about her unborn child influences its ability to […]
February 18, 2020
Recap for Blog 32: Oh, Now I see!: Zani and Jake learn about the withdrawal reflex and how a woman who is happy to be pregnant spontaneously […]
February 11, 2020
Recap for Blog 31 – When an embryo withdraws: Discovering what is really happening as the four-week-old miracle unfolds deep inside Zani instills a sense of wonder […]
February 4, 2020
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 […]
January 28, 2020
Recap for Blog 29 – Twelve very precious weeks: Zani and Jake can scarcely wait to meet their baby shortly after their first visit to Miriam, their […]
January 21, 2020
Recap for Blog 28 – The show gets on the road: Inspired by Vee’s gentle courage and wisdom, Zani realises a baby is something she wants and […]
January 14, 2020
Recap for Blog 27 – A woman’s four qualities: Vee tells Zani about her seven miscarriages – and how she made peace with her heartache. Zani marvels […]
January 7, 2020
Recap for Blog 26 – How van this be possible?: Zani’s world falls apart because she is not pregnant. Dr Cohen explains that a miscarriage is often […]
December 31, 2019
Recap for blog 25 – Hello darkness, my old friend: Zani gets all fired up about researching and choosing the most suitable birth team, but then the […]
December 24, 2019
Recap for Blog 24 – this cannot be true: Zani and Jake have a wonderful weekend, delighting in their little (big!) secret. Finally, it is time for […]
December 17, 2019
Recap for Blog 23 – In pregnancy heaven: Zani’s home-pregnancy kit confirms that she’s pregnant, and wild joy ensues. Then she and Jake are overcome by the […]
December 10, 2019
Recap for Blog 22 – Baby has landed: Zani experiences the tell-tale signs of early pregnancy and buys no fewer than three home urine test kits. With […]
December 3, 2019
Recap for blog 21 – Could I be pregnant?: The whirl of facts and figures Jake came upon while researching attraction, conception and foetal development is about […]
November 26, 2019
Recap for Blog 20 – Baby shaping: A spellbinding process: The multimedia program outlining the process of conception confirms Jake’s belief that men are phenomenal production machines. […]
November 19, 2019
Recap for Blog 19 – Only the strongest and fittest: Jake’s love of technology leads him to a multimedia program explaining human attraction, conception and foetal development […]
November 12, 2019
Recap for Blog 18 – The science of baby making: Zani is ecstatic. After hours of researching what being a new father involves and really feels like, […]
November 5, 2019
Recap for Blog 17 – I want to get it right – with you: As soon as Zani surrenders the need to be in control, to […]
October 29, 2019
Recap for Blog 16 – Zani’s breakthrough: Zani’s conversation with Vee creates something of a domino effect in her head. Suddenly, she realises what her priority should […]
October 22, 2019
Recap for blog 15 – people with frigid breath?: Zani and Jake agree to meet at the Cradle after Jake’s cycling session, to talk about “the […]
October 15, 2019
Recap to Blog 14: Travelling lightly: Vee’s belief that no situation has inherent meaning, and that giving meaning is something only our minds can do, takes Zani […]
October 8, 2019
Recap for blog 13: Healing and wholeness: Jake’s silence on Project Baby and Zani’s doubts regarding his adherence to the preconceptual care plan ushers in Dread, […]
October 1, 2019
Recap for blog 12 – finally, a safe space: Jake suggests they follow the 104-day preconceptual care programme to improve their health in general, but insists they […]
September 24, 2019
Recap for blog 11 – Lavender, rose, mint and jasmine: Zani’s elation, inspired by Jake’s meticulous notes on preconceptual lifestyle and care, soon makes way for […]
September 17, 2019
Recap for Blog 10 – so not for sissies: While Jake presents his findings on preconceptual care – which clearly is going to require dedication and quite […]
September 10, 2019
Recap to A three month prep, for real?: The special dinner Zani arranged has had the desired effect. Not entirely due to the menu, of course, […]
September 3, 2019
Recap: Jake shocks (and delights) Zani by revealing that he is doing his own research on preconceptual care. She cannot help but arrange a very special dinner […]
August 27, 2019
Recap for a knock-over surprise: Even though Zani and Jake both act as if they never had the baby conversation, Zani is right back at her computer […]
August 20, 2019
Recap: Zani’s attempt at convincing Jake that making and raising ‘the perfect baby’ is simply a question of doing the necessary research and then applying oneself, does […]
August 13, 2019
Recap: Zani’s findings reveal that co-creating a child in a mindful way involves far more than deciding whether to have a glass of wine during pregnancy or […]
August 6, 2019
Will my man make the grade? Recap: Zani has taken control of Project Baby and formulated a research strategy, covering everything from preconceptual care to the most […]
July 30, 2019
I’ll figure it out! Recap: When Zani googles ‘pregnancy and birth’, a zillion websites pop up, flooding her with the enormity of the choices and responsibility involved […]
July 23, 2019
Am I selfish to want a baby? Recap: One evening, completely out of the blue, it strikes Zani: she wants a baby. Her man, Jake, clearly hopes […]
July 16, 2019
Blog 1 – THE ITCH My name is Zani. I am a thirty-year old (okay – thirty-ish) professional from an otherwise ordinary background. And while I’m […]