Once upon a time in Embryoland

Abstract

It all started way back in 2014, in a little corner coffee shop in Barcelona, when I had a very interesting conversation with Olga, who I had just met during one of the initial meetings of the EU COST Action: Building Intrapartum Research Through Health (BIRTH). Olga and myself were brainstorming on how to disseminate knowledge to the wider community regarding pregnancy and birth, and it suddenly dawned on me (myself a mother of a then 6 year old inquisitive girl by the name of Amélie) that, to date, there wasn’t a proper children’s book describing the intricate fascinating science of embryology. Being also Olga’s pet subject, she immediately put pen to paper and with wonderful talent wrote the amazing journey of the embryo, through the very eyes of the embryo! Amélie was the first to critically read the script, and had it further fine-tuned. She was in charge of the illustrations, which took just over 3 years to complete; hence the evolution in the artistic style. It is indeed a work from the heart, which in spite of all the ups and downs, became a reality thanks to a solid basis of sincere friendship, close collaboration, determination, perseverance, patience and hard work. So, enjoy this book, and whatever your age, look at life through the innocent eyes of a child, and you will be mesmerised by its beauty and greatness, from the very start.