Antenatal...is that like pro-prophylactic?

Antenatal - not to be confused with ANTI-natal - is just one of the many new words I've learned recently. And boy, am I hearing it enough. Antenatal care, antenatal exercise classes, antenatal testing, antenatal education talks, antenatal the-list-just-keeps-on-going. While it might sound like an adjective for those wishing to avoid a gravid state, it's actually just the British way of saying "prenatal" (pre- and ante- both meaning "before").

Other words I have learned recently: thrush, engorgement, mastitis and blocked duct. There really should have been a warning label on all those pamphlets I got at the clinic yesterday. Hidden in a beautiful pastel packet of breastfeeding advice, I found an innocuous leaflet entitled, " Common Breastfeeding Problems & Their Solutions." The cover matched the other leaflets - cartoon rendition of mom and baby - nothing too scary. I opened it up and...holy boobfairy! It was replete with graphic, full color photos of the horrible, horrible things that can happen to my tender sweater puppies. Honestly, it's really clear, useful info, but I'm going to give it a more thorough read in a few weeks. Hopefully, that'll give my queasy stomach time to settle down.

I've been including scans of paperwork, but I'm guessing you don't want to spend the day with an image of breast engorgement burned into your brain. Instead, here's a recent photo of yours truly. This is from an outing to another HK island that Dave and I took in February, shortly after we learned that we were expecting.

Pirate watchtower on Silver River
Mui Wo, Lantau Island, Hong Kong