Alive and Kickin'

Last night was yet another insomnia-ridden experience.  This meant,I got to watch my Belly Show. I finally managed to capture a brief moment of it on video - which you can see below:

I uploaded this video clip to my Facebook account, and most of my friends who have never experienced pregnancy first hand seemed to be somewhat traumatised.  I've been told by a handful of them that they didn't think there would be so much movement going or, nor that it would be THAT clearly visible.  To be fair, I', sure that on some level - be it conscious or subconscious, they made the link to the famous Alien scene.  Not sure which one I'm referring to? Shame on you!! Here you go!

When I was first told it would be visible, I myself made the connection with the chest burster scene and thought I would probably freak out if I see something moving inside of me.  Instead, I just tend to giggle at it all most of the time, with a "Ouch, stop that will you?" thrown in every so often, especially when Creature throws in a mega-kick or punch.

As painful as the movement tends to be most of the time, it means that all is well and I don't have to worry.  Before I started feeling movements, I used to worry all the time whether Creature is ok in there.

Other mums tend to tell me "I miss being pregnant - I miss feeling the movements inside of me."  One of my mum-friends actually went to the extent of saying that she envies me for being pregnant, and that she was really upset after giving birth - on both occasions [seeing as she is a mother of two] - just because she felt deprived of the movements.


I can imagine getting nostalgic about it, one way or another - however the trick with nostalgia is to recall both good and bad stuff related to the topic.  That way, you can move forward instead of getting stuck to dwell in the past.

I keep picturing what the first few moments will be like, once Creature is born.  I have half-jokingly said that if I have a boy and call him Duncan, I want to listen to Princes of the Universe the moment he is born.  The plan has changed to a gender neutral one now - once they hand him/her over to me, I just want to go.... "IT'S ALIIIIIVE!!!!! ALIIIIIIVE!!!!"  Think the midwife and medical stuff will mind? :D

It's the final countdown!

At almost 35 weeks down the line, I'm more concerned with my personal countdown rather than the NYE one.  I'm afraid my plans for NYE will involve plenty of rest and watching a movie or ten on my laptop - and that is probably going to be the plan for the next few years.

Today I had my fortnightly doc's appointment, where I found out some interesting stuff.  First of all, I was quite pleased to discover that my weight dropped by 300 grams rather than increasing, since 2 weeks ago.  This means that since the beginning of my pregnancy, I've gained a total of 8 kilos.  Yay!  Blood pressure and everything else was ok.


When it was time to have the ultrasound scan, Doc said he is pleased with my weight and that all the meat substitutes [since I'm Pescatarian] I'm eating must be doing the trick as Creature is growing perfectly - and is actually a bit advanced! "How did the doc know?" you might ask me.


When an ultrasound scan is carried out, the ultrasound technician/doctor carrying out the scan will take various measurements of different body parts.  The machine they use will give the measurements and associate them with the progress of the pregnancy weeks-wise.

  The first measurement that is taken is called the Biparietal Diameter [BPD] which is the diameter across the developing baby's skull, from one parietal bone to the other.  Creature's BPD today was that of 9.77cm - which is 40 weeks' dimension.

It is big for  a reason!

The second measurement to be taken is the Abdominal Circumference  [AC] - pretty self-explanatory, really - which is the single most important measurement in assessing foetal size and growth.  It is important that this measurement is taken as accurately as possible.  Severe intrauterine growth retardation can be missed if the AC is not measured. Creature's AC today was measured to be 32.42cm - which is usually associated with a 36 week 2 day foetal age.

Last but not least, the Femur Length [FL] is measured.  If you're not too familiar with your bone structure, the femur is basically your thighbone.  Creature's FL today measured at 7.08cm - which is also considered to indicate a foetal age of 36 weeks 2 days usually.

This basically means that Creature is going to be a brainy, tall, round-bellied individual!

As an additional piece of info for you lot, here's a glossary of the most common pregnancy-related terms.  It may help you understand better what doctors and midwives and pregnancy-related literature are going on about.

My family are convinced Creature  will be born preterm because of his/her size.  I feel like a ticking time bomb right now.  Everyone is stressing out about my needing to have everything ready, just in case.  To be honest, I've got most stuff prepared - the rest, I'm guilty of procrastinating.  We'll see what happens.  In the meanwhile, I'll ignore their buggering and badgering and just take things day by day.

To keep, to give up, or to get rid of?

This morning, a very lovely lady I have the pleasure of knowing posted on Facebook a quote, and later a scanned image, of an article featured on one of the local newspapers.  It emerged that this article was based on an British health agency's study.  Same article can also be found on Yahoo! News.

To bring you up-to-date on the situation locally, Abortion is not legal over here.  However, anyone wishing to abort only has to jump on a catamaran or a plane and pay for it in one of our neighbouring countries.  They will not be turned away, since their money is as good as others'.

"Are you pro-life or pro-choice?" you might be thinking.  The truth? I am pro-using-your-own-brains-to-make-the-most-suitable-decision-whilst-assessing-things-on-a-case-to-case-basis.  Simply put, I will not object to someone undergoing abortion, but neither will I recommend it.  If keeping the child, or giving him/her up for adoption, is a more feasible choice, then to me, that person should choose one of these other two options.  If on the other hand, neither keeping, nor giving up the child, is a feasible solution, then so be it.  Abortion will be the lesser of all evils in that scenario.


The one reason I do not call myself pro-choice, in truth, is because I would not wish Abortion as an experience upon my worst enemy.  Yes, medically, there is no mental health risk linked to it.  There is, however, heartbreak, guilt, and a generic feeling of violation.  As if someone has ripped your very essence out of you.  It is like an extremely amplified combination of mourning the death of a loved one, and having your heart broken by the love of your life.  Needless to say, it is a big deal.  One that you will have to carry with you for the rest of your life.


Different countries have different regulations indicating until when an abortion can be conducted.  Whilst discussing the topic with a French friend of mine who lived for about 3 years in the UK, she explained to me one of the oddest things ever.  The law in the UK makes it legal to have an abortion during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy so long as certain criteria are me, though in special circumstances, it is legal to have an abortion until later on. The Abortion Act 1967 covers the UK mainland (England, Scotland and Wales) but not Northern Ireland. The law states that:

• abortions must be carried out in a hospital or a specialised licensed clinic
• two doctors must agree that an abortion would cause less damage to a woman's physical or mental health than continuing with the pregnancy 

The law states that an abortion is legal after 24 weeks:

• if it is necessary to save the woman's life
• to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman 
• if there is substantial risk that if the child were born, it would suffer from physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped. 

Here is what perplexed me - Premature babies, born as early as 23-24 weeks, can be revived should the parents express the wish to attempt a resuscitation, after discussing it extensively with their doctor.  Premature babies born from 25 weeks onwards are resuscitated without the parent[s] needing to request for it.

Basically, the lines blur across one another.  There is a time through the pregnancy where one can decide to abort - but if there is preterm labour, once the child is here, the doctors would be obliged to try and save his/her life.

So yeah. Personally, I think that the very latest that abortion should be carried out is within the first 12 weeks.  Basically, as long as it is still referred to as an embryo, not a foetus, then I find no moral objection.

On the subject of men and their being opinionated about the whole thing - I mean this in the most loving of ways - You guys will never ever have to deal with this experience in the same way as your ladies might have to.  At the end of the day, it is her decision, not yours.

Before you jump at my throat saying I'm being too harsh - let me attempt to rephrase that.

Under no circumstances do I see it fitting for a man to tell his pregnant partner that she should abort, unless she expresses the justified feelings herself.  She will be the one to have to deal with its consequences - not you.  If you are able of finding an alternative to abortion, please do let your lady know about it.  Discovering you're pregnant is quite a traumatising thing - even when planned.  So be supportive.    At the end of the day though, if she is still of the opinion that she should abort, then it is up to her.  I'm sorry you will have to deal with a decision you do not agree with, but that is what you would need to do 0 deal with it.

I know, you probably are still hating me.  There is no sugar-coated way I can put it to make it sound less harsh, so just think it over.  I tend to be rather blunt in my words, so struggle to put something nicely when I don't really see the need to.

One more thing I wanted to point out is - the morning-after pill is not available in Malta either.  Should the Powers That Be decide to legalise it and introduce it in Malta, I would say to price it at some ridiculous price which is still affordable - Let's say, 10 or 20 euros.  That will ensure that it will not be used as a contraceptive but rather as a remedy for an emergency situation.  Condoms break, and rape happens.  Having friends who work, or have worked in pharmacies, tell me about the number of Language School students [i.e. foreigners coming over to Malta to learn English, usually during summer] they have to break the news about the morning after pill not being available and see their life crumble away, has enforced my opinion that it should be introduced.  After all, these students would have been able to obtain the pill were they back home.  Instead, they now will have to face a possible unwanted pregnancy and all the consequences related to it.

To conclude - no one can ever really be pro-life, nor pro-choice, unless they have to face the situation themselves.  I have known pro-lifers opt for an abortion, and pro-choicers choosing to keep the baby.  Finding out you're pregnant is the one thing that will bring things into perspective - and just because you chose to, or not to, abort once, does not mean you will make the same choice again in the future.

Food Glorious Food!

The moment people find out you're pregnant, they automatically start telling you about what you should and should not eat.  If you're like me, you'll have done your homework in advance, and find yourself telling them that you already know about it all.

If you are like me though, your diet is likely to get questioned by the majority of people. I'm pescatarian - meaning I'm a vegetarian who eats fish. My choice is a moral one. 


Too many people seem to be under the impression that by being vegetarian - and I will be using the term loosely here, to describe all varieties of vegetarianism - or vegan, you're not eating healthily enough and you are therefore harming the baby and will have to eat meat.

Sorry, you lot who are of the above opinion. That is complete and utter bullshit.  As long as you are on a balanced diet, you don't need to eat meat. Also, keep in mind that you'll be put on pregnancy vitamin supplements, meaning that whatever nutrient you're not getting from your diet, you're going to get from the pills.

Let us have a look at the most common foods that you're told to avoid, and why:

• Soft Cheeses with a white, mouldy rind, such as brie and camembert, and blue-veined cheeses such as stilton. All these cheeses could contain listeria, a bacteria that could harm your baby.
• Pate, and raw or undercooked meat and eggs. All are possible sources of bacteria that can harm your unborn baby, such as salmonella. When cooking meat and eggs, make sure they are cooked properly. Avoid products made with raw eggs, such as home-made mayonnaise.
• Raw seafood, such as oysters, or sushi that has not been frozen before making. This means, any sushi that contains crab meat is fine, since it is a processed food purchased in the 'stick' format - i.e. frozen food. Vegetarian sushi is also another alternative. Shellfish is usually a food you're told to avoid for the simple reason that it is one of the most common foods that causes food poisoning.  If cooked properly, then you're fine. 
• Shark, swordfish or marlin. These fish contain unsafe levels of naturally occurring mercury. Tuna contains some mercury too, so it's best you don't eat more than four medium-sized cans, or two fresh tuna steaks per week.
• Don't eat liver and liver products (such as pate or liver sausage), because they may contain large amounts of the retinol form of vitamin A. Too much of this could be harmful to your developing baby.
• You should stop or cut down on drinking alcohol during pregnancy, too. If you really want to drink during your pregnancy, don’t drink more than one or two units of alcohol, once or twice a week, and don't get drunk.  Having said that, very few people are capable of moderation.  Refraining from alcohol is your safest bet. Wanna know what happens to babies whose mother keeps on drinking heavily throughout the pregnancy?  Clicky here, here, here and here.
• It's best not to have more than 200mg of caffeine a day. That’s two mugs of instant coffee or four cups of tea or five cans of cola a day. You could switch to decaffeinated hot drinks and colas, instead.  A good idea is to limit your chocolate intake - especially if you've had coffee/tea/cola throughout the day.  Keep in mind that chocolate contains caffeine.

When it comes to raw vegetables, make sure they are properly washed.


By the way, you know that whole "Eating for two" thing? Yep. That's bullshit as well.

When you're pregnant, your body knows that it needs to be more efficient in utilising the food you eat on a daily basis. What this means is that you don’t actually need any extra calories for the first six months of pregnancy. Then you only need about 200 extra calories per day for the last three months.

If you're like me, 200 calories doesn't mean anything to you. I eat what I eat because I like it, not for its calorie count. So, after some googling, I've found out that 200 calories is equivalent to:

• a slice of wholemeal toast with a small can of baked beans
• a toasted pitta bread with two tablespoons of reduced-fat hummus
• a slice of malt loaf or fruit scone with butter or spread
• one slice of cheese on toast
• 145 grams of cooked pasta
• 83 grams of dried apricots
• 41 grams Snickers chocolate bar

and the list goes on. Clicky here for a visual list of more 200g foods.

And another thing. You know those cravings pregnant women go on and on about? Yep. You guessed it. Bullshit too. It is all in the pregnant woman's head.  I can safely say that my cravings have not changed from my pre-pregnancy days up until now, that i'm approx 34 weeks pregnant.  I just feel like having chocolate milk more often. That much, I justify with the need of extra calcium.  Then again, I've always liked chocolate milk.

Pregnant women - do yourself a favour - eat healthily, and don't over indulge. The pregnancy weight so many women complain about after they give birth is merely their own fault.  You should be looking at gaining an average of 12 kilos by the end of the pregnancy. And this weight should be gained gradually.  [insert smug grin here. I'm happy to say I've so far gained about 8.3kg from the beginning until now. Go me!]  Your pregnancy weight gain should be on your torso, not your ass.

And on this note, I'm off to cook!