Mrs.O's writing room.

We have come a long way and there is still a distance to travel but I give thanks to God for bringing me this far. It’s a new experience. Feels like I’m expecting for the first time. Touching my belly and feeling parts of this little person’s body is amazing. Obviously I’m doing a lot of guess work but am certain that the head is somewhere around “here”, the butt is somewhere around “here”, the knees or elbows … I can’t tell the fingers and toes apart but I feel him/her drawing circles and lines, punching and poking the trapeze, aka my stomach. Trips to the loo have stepped up to almost every 30 minutes – that can be very bothersome. My bounce is gone. I have recently acquired the duck walk for balancing purposes but I try to keep it as subtle as possible. In other news Mr. O is out of town, I miss him sorely. It’s not good for woman to be alone. When lives get intertwined, life is not the same when one party is missing. It’s in the little things: turning on the radio in the morni...

Tradition! tradition! Just like Tevye would sing in "Fiddler on the roof". I stumbled on some interesting pregnancy information over the long weekend. While Helen lived with me, she talked about a herb expecting mothers in Teso take to avoid miscarriage and to strengthen the womb. The ingredients include tree buck and millet grains; it’s pounded to powder, mixed with water and taken 3 times a day. As the pregnancy progresses to about the 8th month, the traditional birth attendant / "old woman in the village" massages the pregnant woman’s belly to make the baby face down, ready for delivery. The massage is also known to keep the baby active. The Baganda are hinged to their traditional beliefs more than any other tribe I know and Emily played a huge role in confirming my suspicions. Her advice; - a pregnant woman must bathe with cold water . It keeps the baby active, gives her energy and wades off nausea and morning sickness. The water should be kept outside overnight...