Worrying that your husband will not make it to the hospital in time for the baby's birth is natural for many women but Val Chen Zili's wife has more to worry about than most mothers-to-be.
Her husband will be on board a ship ploughing through icy waters en route to the Antarctic on February 22, the day their baby is due.
Mr Chen, a PhD student at City University of Hong Kong, is one of five local students taking part in a 15-day Antarctic expedition that aims to raise environmental awareness and promote leadership skills.
It will be the first time Chinese students have taken part in the expedition organised by 2041, the environmental group formed by Robert Swan, the first person to walk to the north and south poles.
But Mr Chen's wife was not so impressed when she realised her husband would miss the birth of their first child.
'She had no words to say but I guess she had a long think and she finally said it would be quite an honour to be able to represent Hong Kong and China,' he said.