As I approach 40, I have been thinking that the next cycle of life (for that's what it feels like!) will be about paring things down to the essentials. To that end, I would prefer if, instead of presents, you would consider giving to the EGA charity. The Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (EGA) is the maternity wing of UCLH where Eve was born. We owe them A LOT. Not only for the medical expertise that made tricky decisions as to when Eve should be born balanced against what might happen to me, but also for the care during the 10 weeks Eve was in hospital. It may sound a small thing to provide a reclining chair, but I think some of us would have lost the plot if we hadn't had a comfortable place to be with our babies. They cost £1000 each, and not each cot had one...so a mother can arrive all geared up to holding her baby, to find that they have to search around for a chair and occasionally all were being used. With my scraps of time that I could hold Eve, this kind of thing could lead me to a minor meltdown. So that's just on a basic level. The charity also supports doctors in their research on such things as preeclampsia. It is sobering to think that I most probably would have died if I lived in rural Africa. 

Thank you for any support you can give.