I am currently selling a few unwanted baby things online. Today a lady contacted me about one of the items and asked to come over.

I opened the door to a beautiful girl in full pregnancy bloom – one month to go with her first baby.

I was immediately taken back to a few months ago when I was in that same situation. Belly round and mind full with excited anticipation.

It got me thinking about all the things I would tell myself if I could go back or what advice I might give to an expectant mum.

1. Get all the sleep you can. Don’t feel at all guilty for those morning sleep ins or sneaky afternoon naps. Just enjoy it and get as much as you can. You may think you’re ready for sleep deprivation but it really is a bitch!
2. Relish in every moment of pregnancy. Even though you are excited to meet your little creation, you will never be pregnant for the first time again. Though you may have more pregnancies you will also have at least one other child to care for so will not necessarily have the luxury to just plop on the couch, pull up your shirt and enjoy watching your bub kick and dance inside your tummy.
3. They make it look easy in the classes but breastfeeding is actually pretty hard. But if you can persist you’ll be glad you did. Oh and there is this thing called cluster feeding…don’t worry, it won’t last forever.
4. Though all they do is sleep and eat, having a newborn is really hard work. Feeding every two hours is exhausting! And yes they sleep a lot but between eating yourself, having a shower, having a bit of down time and maybe even catching up on a bit of sleep yourself, the days just disappear.
5. You’ll doubt yourself about everything but try to trust your instincts. Don’t get hung up on whether you are doing the ‘right thing’. If your baby cries, scoop him up in your arms and soothe him. If he will only sleep while in the safety and comfort of your arms, let him. It won’t last forever and there may just come a time where you will long for those newborn snuggles.
6. Bottles, dummies and disposable nappies are not the enemies they are made out to be. What is important is that your baby is happy and healthy.
7. You don’t have to be super mum or have it all together straight away. And you won’t so just go with it. You don’t have to get your pre-baby body back immediately and your social calendar won’t be exactly like it used to, as least not at first.
8. There will be times when you are more tired than you thought possible and all you want to do is cry. It’s ok. Cry. But ask for help when you need it. You won’t do yourself or your baby any favours by pushing yourself past your limits.

These are just a few things I would tell myself if I could go back to those last few weeks in my pregnancy. But mostly I would just simply say…

You’ve got this.