After reading Denise's BlogHer post last week that the gift of maternal health is the perfect Mother's Day gift, I thought "this really is perfect!" I blogged it and suggested that not only is it a great cause, but it is also a great consumerism/stuff-free gift, something that I feel, in our consumerism-driven society, is so important, but so ofte

If you live in Knoxville, Tennessee you may see a fake funeral procession on Mother's Day the day before Mother's Day. This fake funeral procession is being organized to protest abortion.

I'm due to give birth in about three weeks. Possibly sooner, if this massive baby gets his way and manages to punch his way out before then. I'll be giving birth in a hospital, attended by our family doctor, and, yes, there will be drugs. Epidural me, baby. PLEASE.

It's been just over two weeks since Lisa Stone announced that BlogHers Act was teaming up with Global Giving to make a difference on the issue of maternal health and asked, "How many women's lives can we save with donations from the BlogHer community, between now and Mother's Day?"

When I was building the landing page for our BlogHers Act - GlobalGiving campaign I went ahead and made my donation before we officially launched. It's always good to test these things, I like testing things.

In just over a month, I will be delivering my baby in one of the best obstetric hospitals in my country. I will have the best doctors, a private room, and every comfort. If I wanted to, I could have a highly-trained midwife, and a doula, and have my home outfitted to accommodate a comfortable home birth. I have every reason to expect - even though I know that there are no guarantees - that I will have a safe and straightforward delivery. It is unlikely in the extreme that anything terrible will happen to either myself or my baby, assuming no complications with the pregnancy.