Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie is reportedly travelling to Serbia to have his injured leg treated with placental fluid
The Holland forward damaged the ligaments in his right ankle during Saturday’s friendly against Italy and is likely to be out of action for six weeks according to Arsenal FC. Van Persie has since returned to London to continue with rehabilitation but has subsequently received consent from Arsenal FC to fly to Serbia to receive alternative treatment. Aiming to recover in a month, Van Persie will meet with female doctor Marijana Kovacevic who previously treated an injury of Danko Lazovic (PSV Eindhoven midfielder). According to Van Persie, Lazovic has been vague about Kovacevic’s methods but claims that treatment involves massage using fluid from a placenta – horse placenta according to sources. Placentas are thought to contain proteins that when rubbed into the skin will reach the damaged ligaments and have a healing effect. Read the rest of this entry »
Many years ago A Nightmare Before Christmas, the most magical of fairytales, was birthed in the mind of Tim Burton and was brought to life through the genius of stop motion animation. Disney produced the film, and the result of Disney’s involvement and consequential copyright ownership has been the pop-culturalisation of Jack Skellington; appropriator of Christmas and Halloween Town’s Pumpkin King. Jack has become the pop-icon of the alternative movement, largely because of the mass production and ready availability of Jack merchandise. One could argue the inconsistencies associated with the notions of alternative, mass production and pop-culture but the message of the moment is: every funky baby needs a Jack. Upon my perusal of the Disney store a couple of weekends ago, I picked out a Jack for my Christmas baby due on December 17. Here is some of what Disney has on offer in the plush toy category this Christmas: 
You have accompanied Mom and Dad on many concert adventures this year in our ongoing quest to see our favourite bands, and you will thus be born into the world as a real ‘metal baby’. Naturally, we will not dictate your music choice – unless boy bands and Beyonce (now block that name from your mind) appear on the list. Okay, so maybe we will be a little bit dictatorial. In fact, whilst waiting in the queue to watch 30 Seconds To Mars last night your Dad and I had an argument about who will accompany you to concerts if the bands you like are ‘lame’ (in our expert opinion of course). Your Dad says that there is no way that he is going with you to a Britney Spears or Atomic Kitten concert (now block those names from your mind) but here’s a little piece of advice: your Dad already refers to you as his Amelia and if you just bat your eyelids he will accompany you to whatever show you like (don’t tell him I told you). I am happy to take you to see ‘lame’ bands as long as you pay for my ticket. Little Tangy: the essential point is that we just want you to love music as much as we do. And we can’t wait to tell you about all of the fun you had in my tummy as you succumbed to the comfort of your amniotic fluid and the vibrations of double-bass drumming whilst Mom and Dad lived some dreams. Here’s a morsel to keep you satiated in the meantime: 
A month today … or earlier … or later – who knows? CRAP! The uncertainty is killing me. I just want to get this giving birth thing out of the way. I am feeling petrified and paranoid. Petrified of the pain and paranoid that something will be wrong with my baby girl. If I am completely honest with myself, I think that I will be able handle a deformed baby but I can’t handle a retarded one. The ‘what if’ game is seriously dangerous but I find myself playing it irrespective. One minute I am excited to meet my daughter and the next minute I am thinking about brain damage, down’s syndrome, episiotomies and third-degree tears. 
Cameron slept at Granny’s place on Friday night to give Dean and I had a night off yet I got less sleep than when Cameron is around *wink wink*. But I wonder what the point was. Should I have sacrificed a night with my husband to rest my body? Who comes first, Tracey-self, Tracey-mom or Tracey-wife? Then yesterday afternoon and last night I was at a friend’s bachelorette party: I got into bed at 3am and I the mom cried in harmony with Cameron in the next room upon waking this morning. So Dean got up, closed the door and took Cameron to the lounge. I put in my ear plugs, threw a pillow over my head for some extra deafness and slept for three more hours. And again, I cannot help but wonder what the point was? 
I was absolutely dreading my antenatal class on Saturday. The thought of birth videos, synchronised breathing and mom-bonding completely freaked me out. This whole having to push a baby out thing is just becoming far too real. My fear is comprised of many elements but a large part of it is the uncertainty and the lack of control (I won’t even mention the pain … oh the pain) that envelops the act of birth. Much to my relief, antenatal class went a long way to quelling some of the fear relating to the whole ‘WTF am I supposed to do’ part – without birthing videos and the accompanying crap that I had assumed would formulate the class. 
When we shopped for a pram we found one that suited our pocket and off we went. Well in hindsight I wish there was an antenatal class on prams: how they open and close; how the car seat fits into the pram and the car for that matter; the size of the pram relative to the size of the boot; and most importantly, “will my child be happy in it?” My boy Cameron has pretty much hated being squashed into the seat with the ‘snuggle safe’ engulfing his head from day one! He gets hot, then fidgety, which makes him even hotter and the screams just get louder. I hope that the seat is something he will grow to love … really I am. Who knew my child would hate his pram? And here I thought that kids loved to be pushed around in prams. Guess not. Maybe we should have bought a different one? Bigger? Softer? 
So what’s a cool soft-toy to get for an alternative baby girl? Little Red Riding Kitty is what. My baby girl was lucky
enough to receive this gorgeous plush toy as a gift from her Aunty and Uncle. The special thing about my baby’s Little Red Riding Kitty is that it reflects the personality of its givers and the relationship between friends – something my baby girl will grow to appreciate when she is a bit older. Being a lover of Fairytales and cats, I am under strict instruction that the Kitty is not for me but is for my daughter. In this case I may just have to purchase the accompanying Wolf Kitty for myself. These collectors toys are found on 
According to Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb, the current C-section rate is nearly double that recommended by the World Health Organisation. Healthcare professionals have voiced concern over the fact that the figures reveal that women are being subjected to unnecessary medical interventions. Although most caesarean sections are straightforward, the operation is major and bears the potential for serious complications for women and their babies.
I am now 35 weeks preggers and for the last eight months I have point-blank refused to look like some boring-ass granified mom-to-be, devoted to the cult of pastel and floral. That is not to say that I am some guru of style – I have my own style and I like it. I have simply refused to give up my ‘look’ for the sake of a big belly and some water retention. Luckily, there are many modern designers and retailers that offer trendy maternity wear. And I am happy for the trendies but what about the alternative mom-to-be? My ‘style’ is part of my identity and is an outward expression of my personality and the way I feel. It’s important to me. Not everyone gets this and not every pregnant woman is preoccupied with finding funky-punky tops to fit a bulging belly or with ensuring that month-eight swollen feet will accomodate 20-up Docs. But I care. 
