Looking back, there are some things I would NEVER have got through pregnancy without…

1. A body pillow
Basically a pillow that was 5′ long. I would never have been able to sleep without it. I would sit my bump on it and cross my leg on top of it to get ‘comfy’.  We named it Rachel. This seemed to make it easier for hubby to sleep with ‘her’ every night!  

2. An oscillating, 3 speed, desk fan
It was a hot summer and I just couldn’t cool down. The fan was on 24/7 and followed me around the house.

3. My mum
She had ‘been there, done that’ and therefore was a comfort and a mine of information. (Some of which I ignored!)

4. The TV
Yes I watched so much daytime TV it dulled my brain. But it made kids TV seem so much more interesting!

5. A plentiful supply of chocolate
It was wierd. Chocolate normally went straight to all the wrong places but when I was pregnant I could eat LOADS of it. I think my baby was eating it with me, cos he loves the stuff now!

6. Supermarkets that delivered all my shopping and put it in the kitchen
This was just brilliant. No more lugging potatoes and juice cartons. Just wait for the van to arrive and unpack the chocolate!

7. Bigger clothes
Having said that by the end I was wearing my pyjama bottoms and nightie all the time. Fashion experts were  glad I didn’t leave the house.

8. A baby names book
It took 9 months to think of a shortlist of girls and boys names. We even tried randomly opening a page and picking the 1st name. We didn’t choose Happy Daffodil though – wonder why…

9. My midwife
She kept reassuring us that everything was OK. We were over anxious 1st time parents who worried about every hiccup and gurgle emminating from my tummy.

10. Last but by no means least. My partner
Because:

• He emptied the cat litter tray.
• He put the bins out.
• He cooked more meals than I care to remember.
• He put up with my grouchiness.
• He rubbed my back when it ached.
• He put my socks on my feet when I couldn’t reach them anymore.
• He got excited at every new stage of pregnancy.
• He got the food cravings and nesting instead of me.
• He read all the pregnancy books with me.
• He stayed with me throughout a very long labour.
• He became the best dad in the world.