Top tips to get comfortable when you are having your baby:

Birthing Pool – The water is great for assisting with the pain and to make you feel relaxed and supported.

Using a birth ball – This lets you push and your legs do not take the strain.

Lying on your side with your other leg propped up – Lying on your left side allows the uterus to lean to the right and helps to take the pressure away.

Leaning forward using a support – This reduces the risk of tearing as you lean or kneel forward gravity can do its job.

Findings of a recent study show that the intake of a low calorie diet or a diet low on nutrient content may harm the brain of the newborn. The child may experience behavioural disorders in later life and is linked with low IQ in children. It was shown that there was a link between a pregnant woman’s eating habits with the development of her baby’s brain. It supports the view that poor diets in pregnancy can alter development of organs in particular the brain. The study was based on animals but believed that similar results may hold true for humans as well.

In the UK the government intends to explore new flexible systems of maternity and paternity leave, and also the extension of the right to request flexible working to all employees. The additional paternity leave which came into force in April 2010 will impact on parents of babies due on or after 3 April 2011. If the mother returns to work early, the fathers which are eligible will have the right to take up to 26 weeks of additional paternity leave. Part of the leave will be paid if taken during the mother’s paid leave period.

It is fact that pregnant women need to provide good nutrition for two people, but it is fiction that she should eat for two. The unborn baby gets all the nutrients they need from its mother through the umbilical cord, so a healthy and balanced diet is important. If the mother is lacking any vitamins or nutrients, then this could be passed on to the baby. It is advised by nutritional experts that a woman who is not pregnant needs around 2100 calories per day, and that a pregnant lady should consume around 2500 calories per day. If the mother is breast feeding, they need around 3000 calories per day.

Experts believe that new parents should start massaging their baby from birth as it smoothes the transition from the womb into the world. It can help parents’ confidence and both parent and baby can relax and enjoy special bonding time together. Midwifes also suggest that it can improve babies skin, and reduce the discomforts of wind, colic and constipation. By using a pure baby massage oil, you are able to massage your baby and provide muscle stimulation, but over all spend quality time with your baby.