The Catholic church hates vaginas

This is me at 19 weeks, today! Ingrid says you can't really tell a difference between today and 18 weeks, or 17... from the side, you really can't. I took a picture of myself in the mirror today that really showed a dramatic belly, but it showed pubic hair too, and I decided not to subject anyone else to that. (Nick, if you want to see it, I can send to you privee.)

Today, the Post reported that St. John's University is cancelling its plans to stage The Vagina Monologues there in February, for V Day. The Catholic university deemed it "inappropriate." In its caption, the Post called the play "genitalia-obsessed." Hellloooo? What's genitalia obsessed is our fucking culture--until it comes to women taking back their vaginas from MTV, Maxim, Brandon Davis (Paris Hilton's worthless, sad buddy who penned the name "Firecrotch" for Linds), hiphop culture, and the White House and the Supreme Court. This really rankles the old-school radical feminist in me. Also, this is sad for the students who no doubt put a lot of work into planning this. I thought about posting a picture of my vagina, in protest, but I can't reach it by myself with a camera. (Who knew!)

Next thing SuperOva is fascinated with is this story that transfats actually lower your fertility. Is that wack?? Does this mean that people who eat McDonald's will have their fertility impeded? This is probably not any surprise to the hippie fertility experts out there, mind you, who have been saying nutrition and fertility are linked for ages.

At dinner with new friends the other night, someone asked this question: What's the difference between a doula and a birthing coach? Here's what I've figured out so far, from the Doulas of North America: a doula is someone who is trained and experienced in childbirth, and administers emotional and physical support to an expectant mother before, during and after labor. A birthing coach can be your partner, husband, a close friend--someone who might help you through the birth. You could have both a birthing coach and a doula. This leads to my question: What is a midwife? A midwife attends a birth and provides support during labor and delivery. How is she different from a doula? She has medical training? If anyone can weigh in... Is the issue that midwives help deliver at home?