Bermudian Dina Tucker has driven a taxi, worked in carpentry, been one of the few female welders on the Island and is now turning her hand to writing about the joys of motherhood.

Her first book, actually a calendar about pregnancy, ?My pregnancy calendar ? a keepsake to pass throughout the generations? allows pregnant women and new mothers to note down all the precious moments and milestones of pregnancy.

It also contains important information about the development of the baby.

Miss Tucker said she designed the calendar to fill a void in the local market.

?When I was pregnant I wanted to note things,? Miss Tucker said. ?I looked in town and got the information from a book called ?Planning for pregnancy, birth, and beyond? by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

?I was expecting my second child. I have two boys, Kenneth Tucker Thompson, 17, and Jason Gibbons, now 5. I find in Bermuda that there is not enough information about pregnancy.

?I never thought I?d be doing something like this.?

Miss Tucker did all the design work on the project, including the many detailed illustrations. The useful information about pregnancy in the calendar is borrowed with permission from the people who wrote ?Planning for Pregnancy?.

?There is quite a lot of work in that,? she said.

The calendar arrived two months before her son Jason did. It has been approved by several local doctors including Dr. Ian Fulton, Dr. Brenda Davidson and Dr. Wendy Wood.

Dr. Davidson, senior medical officer at the Department of Health, wrote in the beginning of the calendar: ?For Dina Tucker, pregnancy was an exciting and rewarding time.

?Each week brought new experiences and challenges from the day she discovered that she was pregnant until the moment of birth.

Dana wishes to share her joy with other women and make pregnancy a healthy, happy and above all, a learning experience.?

Dr. Fulton also had words of praise for the project. ?This pregnancy calendar is clearly laid out and beautifully coloured,? he wrote.

?There is useful information for each month, both about the changes of the body which are occurring in response to the pregnancy and general tips about staying healthy in pregnancy.?

Miss Tucker said the hardest part about creating the calendar was just finding the encouragement to get started.

?I didn?t know how to begin,? she said. ?I have never done something like this before. I needed some advice. Everyone had ideas about who I should call.?

But certain people that she called were offended that she was asking for advice about putting together a calendar.

One author told her: ?I don?t do calendars.?

Miss Tucker spoke with a few local authors, but found them negative and bitter about their own experiences.

?The experience left a bitter taste in my mouth,? Miss Tucker said. ?That made me want to achieve the calendar even more.?

In the end, she spoke to then United Bermuda Party (UBP) member of parliament, Allan Marshall and told him her story.

?By that time I wasn?t expecting much,? she said. ?He said someone would call me back. I thought, ?yeah right?, but Kim Young telephoned me. She sent me to Dr. Wendy Woods and Donald Smith. After the negativity I experienced, I pushed harder to do what I wanted.?

Mr. Smith suggested she try to get sponsors for her calendar.

Later, she was a bit discouraged when she discovered how much it would cost to have it printed, but then Bermuda Press offered her a special deal and it was printed locally. It is now available in local stores and part of the proceeds are going to Teen Services.

?I will be taking it to the United States,? said Miss Tucker. ?I had to make sure that everything is done. A publisher is interested. People are buying them.

?There is a lot of info on pregnancy, but it is not available for the woman who wants to note things down. Usually with most women they want to keep a reminder of everything that is happening, if only to tell the doctor on the next visit.?

The calendar includes spaces to write down cravings, doctor?s comment and mother?s thoughts and feelings.

It contains information like: ?Headaches are common during pregnancy. Usually headaches do not signal a health problem. How often they occur and how bad they are can vary. It is important to discuss with your health care team what medications you can use for the headache.?

The calendar also offers a letter from a mother to a child, written by Rose-Ann Gibbons.

?You will not understand the significance of this letter for many years to come,? wrote Ms Gibbons.

?I hope that I am around, when it is time to explain the contents. Know that I write these words to you so you will understand the complexities of life, in living a good life and be able to accept your place in the scheme of things.?

In the letter, Ms Gibbons reminded her child of their own importance in their mother?s heart.

?Your welfare and future, are utmost on my mind,? wrote Ms Gibbons. ?I wanted to write you this letter so that you will know how much you mean to me, unseen, with only my imagination of who you will look like and what kind of person you will grow to be. Be the best you can. Always give your best and in so doing you must get the best in return.?

Miss Tucker said since writing the calendar she has written several other books (not calendars) about different stages of a child?s development. She hopes that later, people will be able to personalise their calendars with ultrasounds of their baby.

?We won?t be doing that right now though,? she said.

Miss Tucker said she really enjoys doing things that are a challenge.

?I learned welding from Lionel Basset,? said Miss Tucker. ?I have really just started to get into that. It is about being independent. A lot of times men would rather work on a job site with women, because they are more reliable, respectful and get the job done.?

She wanted to thank members of her family for their support, particularly her two sons.

?They have been helping me with this,? she said. ?My youngest son would have made everything red if I let him.?

She was also grateful to Mrs. Gibbons for her help with the project.

?I could call her at any time of the day or night, and run an idea by her,? she said.

The calendar is now available in local bookstores, churches such as the Seventh Day Adventist Church, doctors? offices, gas stations, and even some grocery stores such as the Garden Market.