Make the most of your time whilst on maternity leave - try out all of your equipment, e.g. how to use the car seat, how to put up and take down the pram or how to work the steriliser, etc.

Use your maternity leave to relax – make sure to go out for lunch with your friends. You may even want to cook some meals that you can freeze for when baby arrives.

Many women worry about doing a poo whilst in labour – don’t. Even if you do the midwife will have already cleared it up before you have realised. Trust us – this will be the last thing on your mind!

Whether you give birth vaginally or by caesarean section, you will experience bleeding for a few weeks after (can be up to 6 weeks with a vaginal birth).

Sometimes the bleeding in the first few days following the birth can be fairly heavy. Although highly unattractive, you can buy adult incontinence pants in Boots which are super absorbent and keep everything in. If nothing else, they are good for a laugh - trust us, you won’t care what you look like!

If you are very swollen, you may find ‘fem pads’ can be very soothing. These are gel packs that you place in the freezer then wear in your knickers with cotton gauze over the top. They are widely available in stores such as Boots and Mothercare.

Again, if you are very swollen and are finding it uncomfortable to sit down, you can hire a valley cushion from the NCT. Valley cushions are specially designed with a dip in the middle which minimises pressure in that sensitive area.

If you are determined to breast feed but are suffering from very sore nipples, you may find some light relief from occasionally using nipple shields.

Be aware that you stomach does obviously reduce in size once your baby is born, but you may still be amazed at how big it appears. Rest assured it will get smaller however it may be at least 4 weeks until you can get back into your old jeans (and that’s if you are very lucky!).

If you have a vaginal birth, your first wee may be painful. To reduce the stinging it is a good idea to wee in the bath (which they have on the postnatal ward). The water will also help soothe your soreness

You (and your partner) will be amazed at your similarity to Pamela Anderson once your milk comes in! Unfortunately this does come at a price, as your boobs will be very hard and sore. If it’s not time to feed your baby, you may want to have a warm bath or shower and gently massage your boobs to express a little milk.

If you have decided not to breastfeed then you must avoid stimulating your boobs. This means no massaging or direct contact with shower spray – basically you must ignore them! After a few days your milk will dry up and your boobs will return to normal.

If you continue to breastfeed, you will need to wear a bra and breast pads in bed as you will leak during the night.

Be aware, that whilst having a baby with your partner is a really magical experience, it may not always be fabulous in those first few weeks. Lack of sleep may lead to frayed tempers and you may often feel like it is a competition with your partner as to who has had the least amount of sleep!

If you have a caesarean birth then you will be very sore for a couple of weeks afterwards. Do not attempt to lift anything other than your lovely new baby.

Try and give your scar some ‘breathing’ time – after a shower is always good

It can take up to 12 weeks after a caesarean birth for you to feel like your old physical self. Your stomach may also feel numb for many weeks – if you have any concerns then speak to your community midwife, GP or health visitor.

You will have days where you feel ‘blue’ – this is perfectly normal. However if you are concerned that you can’t shake off the blues then you must speak to your GP or health visitor.