It's all Educational

Having devoured books, I’ve switched to slightly cheaper ways of fuelling my pregnancy information addiction. I read (and occasionally comment on) Alpha Mummy in The Times on line; I’m trying to join in with a virtual ante-natal group on Mumsnet; Babycentre is a mine of information and I love getting my weekly updates on what is happening inside my tummy. Away from the net, beside my loo, my saucy magazines have been replaced with Pregnancy and Birth. And then there are all the blogs…

I must say it’s all quite an education, but not always a happy one. I’ve been terrified about labour (I’m over it now – I just choose to not think about it yet); enlightened about Placenta Previa; and many other pregnancy complications. Generally though it’s nice to hear other people’s experiences and to know where to go if you have a slightly odd question to ask – it’s amazing how easy it is to get personal in the virtual world! On the plus side I’d not heard of Group B Strep until I read about it in P&B, and now I’m adamant I want to be tested for it. It’s a virus that a mother can have, without realising it, and pass on to her baby and it can be fatal for the baby, but they can do something about it, they just don’t routinely test for it so surely that’s money well spent even if I have to go private for the test?

Generally, I must say, without wishing to be smug (but obviously sounding smug anyway), I feel pretty lucky to be enjoying the pregnancy as I am with only a few minor aches and pains.