And once you start looking they seem to be everywhere. I have just read that Ann Van Elsen is pregnant. Ann is een BV (een Bekende Vlaming - a well-known Fleming), in other words a local celebrity, who presents TV and radio programmes. Naturally, she is compleet in de wolken met deze zwangerschap - completely "in the clouds" with this pregnancy, though, since her husband is a professional footballer, perhaps "over the moon" is a better rendering.

For the birth itself, the soon-to-be parents have decisions to make: thuis bevallen - give birth at home; een epidurale verdoving - an epidural anaesthetic; or een keizersnede - a Caesarian section. And then the suikerboontjes - sugar beans - have to be chosen and the birth card made ready at the printer's waiting for the vital details.

And with the baby born, the working mother is entitled to bevallingsverlof - maternity leave, though in these times this may affect your job. Het Belgisch Instituut voor de Gelijkheid van Vrouwen - The Belgian institute for the Equality of Women - reports een groiende aantal geschillen in verband met zwangerschap - a growing number of disputes in connection with pregnancy.

For those having difficulty conceiving, a move to a particular street in the town of Retie in the province of Antwerp may be in order. The local burgemeester claims De Middenakkers Street is de vruchtbaarste straat in Vlaanderen - the most fertile street in Flanders: dit jaar werden er twee baby's geboren en zijn er opnieuw acht vrouwen zwanger in de straat - this year two babies have been born and there are eight women pregnant again in the street. It's not clear whether it's the same eight as previously. And no mention is made of the cause.

Perhaps the greatest birth of the year was that of Kai-Mook in Antwerp Zoo. The baby elephant has been a crowd puller ever since. The zookeeper who was midwife to K-M's mother gushed: de geboorte was bijna zo mooi als die van mijn eigen twee dochters - the birth was almost so beautiful as those of my own two daughters. Such dedication is commendable, but I'm glad for him he remembered the bijna.