Just published: my story in City Weekend Parents & Kids

I recently wrote an article for the Shanghai magazine City Weekend Parents & Kids about being pregnant in Shanghai. When I first found out I was expecting in mid-2011, I couldn't really find an article like this in any of the parenting magazines or websites, so I pitched this first-person story idea to the editor.

Here is part one. The second part (out in a few months) will detail my experiences as a new mother in Shanghai. Happy reading!

Bump watch: week 24

I'm now six months pregnant. The second trimester has been really very enjoyable. I can't really complain about my first trimester all that much either if I'm really honest. I was fortunate enough to avoid morning sickness but did have incredible fatigue. So much so that I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid and put on a small dose of medication. Thankfully, by week 13, my fatigue lifted, to be replaced by a daily headache. But nothing too bad. Just annoying really.

Week 13 to week 19 is a strange time. You're not really showing all that much and all the pregnancy symptoms disappear. As a result, you're left wondering: am I really pregnant? So the week 20 ultrasound was a godsend. Hearing the heartbeat is the best thing. It calmed all my nerves and confirmed that yes, there is a baby in there. And then my bump started to grow!

Now that I'm at week 24, I definitely look and feel pregnant. I am loving my weekly pre-natal yoga and aqua aerobics classes. I'm enjoying reading up on birth (am particularly loving the practical tips in Juju Sundin's book "Birth Skills") and stocking the nursery. The weather is changing up a bit here so I can really wear comfy clothes and throw a coat, boots and scarf on and look more dressed up than I really am! I'm getting some pain in my tailbone that can be pretty damn painful and annoying. Seems my baby is pressing on a sciatic nerve.

But all in all, I can't complain. I love being pregnant. I love having a bump. I love imagining what I'm going to have. Will it be a boy? Will it be a girl? What colour hair will it have? What colour eyes? Will it have my husband's cute dimple? So much anticipation and excitement. Change is a-coming!

5 Things I Love This Week

1. Sunny days. The view from my balcony at the moment is gorgeous. It's Autumn here and we're enjoying the last of the green leaves. This week's weather has been particularly lovely. It's cool but not cold and there are even blue skies. Just perfect.

2. Feeling my bump grow. And quickly! I still can't feel movement, but my OB assures me it's coming soon. I can't believe I'm past the half way mark.

3. Internet radio. I listen to Triple J every day via my iPod hooked to our iPod dock. My eyes tell me I live in Shanghai when I look out the window, but my ears are firmly planted back in Australia when I'm in my living room. Love it.

4. High tea. My friends and I have started a new monthly outing: we go for an afternoon of high tea and side of girly chats. We've now done The Peninsula and the Waldorf Astoria. It feels so cliched - ladies who tea! - but we're loving it.

5. New babies. In the space of 18 months we have welcomed four new boys to our extended family -- two in the last fortnight! Two on my side and two on my husband's side. I wonder if I will continue the trend and have a boy? We'll find out in March...

The most-asked question of the last few months...

Q: "What are you having?"
A: "A baby I hope"

I was surprised when my obstetrician said the other day that she estimates 80% of people now find out the sex of their child ahead of the delivery. That statistic did get me thinking for a minute, but I'm happy with our decision not to find out what we're having. There are so few true positive surprises left in this world that I'm going to wait for a delivery surprise. Sure, it would be easier to know now what kind of clothes to buy for the baby, but I figure I'll have a lifetime of shopping so I should enjoy the anticipation. And let's face it: I'll be happy with whatever I have. There are only two possibilities -- and either is good with me.

And I suppose if I really want to wind my husband up, I could add this response to my repertoire:

Q: "What are you having?"

A: "A Wallaby not a Springbok"