Jonathan Paul has heard the jokes that Winter is coming.
And it's true that Winter is coming, possibly in time for Mother's Day on Sunday.
For his wife Marina Paul is due to give birth at any moment to their already named son, Winter.
The couple are well placed to deal with their first child, given they work together in a mothers and babies research program.
The couple, who both hold doctorates, met at Hunter Medical Research Institute in a research romance.
"We met in 2012 when Marina turned up to start her honour's degree," Jonathan said.
As would be expected, there's much scientific discussion at home as well as work.
"It pretty much never ends. Being a researcher is a way of life to be honest," he said.
They've taken their passion for research into the pregnancy, closely examining everything from birth practices to the best baby bottles.
"We're surrounded by obstetricians and people who know a lot about pregnancy," Jonathan said.
"It's a double-edged sword because we know a lot about pregnancy and what can go wrong.
"I've been checking her blood pressure on an ongoing basis, looking for late onset pre-eclampsia."
Like many mums, Marina has been researching pregnancy and babies.
Given her job, she tends to read scientific papers rather than typical baby books.
"The books can be very biased, based on someone's specific experience," she said.
"On PubMed, you can search anything you're interested in and get lots of different research. You're able to look at different perspectives and make a decision based on that."
She said her pregnancy had been "really good", with no ill symptoms.
"It has a lot to do with my investigating, even prior to getting pregnant - the best supplements to use, for example."
She said a lot of nausea during pregnancy was linked to folic acid in supplements, used to help babies grow.
"Three in four women can't convert folic acid in their body and it causes them nausea.
"I found an Australian company that makes prenatal vitamins that don't have folic acid. Instead they have methylated folate."
Her research also led her to give up chocolate to avoid heartburn and having to sleep sitting up.
"I had to get my husband to hide the chocolate from me," she joked.
The impending birth of their son coincided with Jonathan being awarded a $2.6 million National Health and Medical Research Council grant, examining the use of nanoparticles to prevent preterm birth.
This will give him a five-year secure salary to continue his work, along with $400,000 a year for research costs and two PhD stipends.
"Preterm birth is the leading cause of death and disease in children under five worldwide," he said.
"It's a monumentally significant complication. Not only is there the problem of children dying, but it establishes life trajectories."
Those born preterm were at "higher risk further down the track".
"That has a personal cost with people suffering things like breathing disorders and neurodevelopment issues.
"There's also a massive economic burden because they require varying degrees of support."
