• Lemon water, fresh ginger tea, cream crackers and grated apple help with ‘morning’ sickness – it sometimes comes back at the end of your pregnancy
• Exercise every day: walk, swim, dance to your favourite music
• Don’t cut your hair really short – it makes your face look fatter
• Buy only one or two smart maternity outfits and lose-fitting tops
• Speak to women with babies. Ask them about the clinic, immunisations, baby-sitters and day care
• Make special time for you and your partner – there won’t be much of it once baby gets here!
• Try drinking a cup of warmed milk before you go to sleep
• Heartburn can return with a vengeance towards the end of your pregnancy. Stick to small, bland but nutritious meals
• Pregnancy is not an excuse to binge eat. Losing the extra weight can take a life-time!
• From 8 months onwards, be prepared for labour – suitcase packed, legs waxed, toenails painted, lists made, food in the cupboards
• Breathe through ‘Braxton-Hicks’ contractions and use these to practice for labour
• Teach yourself relaxation techniques. Use your imagination to visualise a ‘happy place’ when you’re stressed or can’t sleep
• Communicate with your partner – he has no idea how you’re feeling or what’s going on in your head!
• Speak to your doctor about recommended methods of pain relief when you’re in labour
• Forget about ‘birth plans’ – everything goes out the window when you’re in pain!
