Alongside a rapidly expanding waistline being pregnant also gives you an invisible radar used to detect other expectant women and babies.
I can now spot a pregnant lady or a tiny baby a mile-off, all of a sudden they seem to everywhere I go. Tummies so big that they frighten me are lurking around every corner and every shop has at least one aisle blocked by a mum struggling with a pram. Maybe I didn¹t notice them before I realised I was about to join their club.
A bulging tum is a great conversation starter. Now that it is fairly obvious that I am pregnant and not just a bit chubby round the edges, strangers offer advice along with their best wishes. I love it! Cashiers at checkouts, shoppers in queues and even the man from BT have all offered me the benefit of their parenting experiences with nuggets of information and anecdotes. I should be walking around with a notebook or a Dictaphone (oh, as a journalist perhaps I should be anyway) to make sure no gem of information is forgotten.
Apparently I am having a boy, I haven't found out officially, but this is the general consensus from the man on the street. It¹s all to do with the way I am carrying, I have been told all up front means it¹s definitely a boy.
Personally, and far be it for me to have an opinion, I¹m just the incubator, I thought a girl was more likely. My theory is based on probability in that all my friends seem to have had boys.
The first ante-natal class was a success, no tuts and frowns from parenting know-it alls, no rule books thrust in my face and, to my relief, no role plays! I'm not sure what I had thought these plays might involve, doesn¹t really bare thinking about, Steve was well behaved, he seemed to take the whole thing quite seriously and I managed not to giggle during the relaxation exercise (it was touch and go though). We even had chocolate biscuits at half time, I will definitely go again.
Swimming was also surprisingly unproblematic. The most traumatic moment was catching my side profile in the changing room mirror as I waddled to the pool complete Well, must go and try and find a winter coat that will do up.
Any advice on babies and birth welcome.