I've been carrying Baby for almost 9 months now, but he still doesn't feel 'real' to me. The morning sickness was real. The anxiety around whether he'd be healthy and whole was real. The check-ups were real; the sound of his heartbeats, seeing him wriggle about on the ultrasound – all real. The kicks and punches (especially towards my bladder and other internal organs) are definitely real. But Him, as a being, a human, a person – not real. Not yet. Right now He's still just an extens...

In 'Expecting Better', the author, Emily Oster, points out that there will come a time during the pregnancy when I'll wonder if (read: be convinced that) I'll stay pregnant forever. That's me, right now. I didn't realise I'd reach this stage before Baby's due date, but here I am, 5 days from the due date, and I feel like I've been ready for weeks. And the weeks I have left feel like months. So what am I ready for? No longer having a constant feeling of 'I kind of need to pee' and then e...