you may have visited a trained massage therapist for pain relief and relaxation. Sadly, trained massage therapists aren't that readily available to assist you during labour and birth, but there's no reason why your birth partner can't roll up his

with some of the physical and emotional difficulties you might face. The first few daysHow you cope with the first 48 hours after birth will depend very much on how you and your baby experienced birth. It's perfectly normal to feel a bit shell-shocked after

nausea or be totally erratic with my sickness. Whichever it is, cooking can be less than appealing for me at the moment so you might need to step up to the stove more often than you'd like. And whether it's early pregnancy nausea or post-birth recovery

of the infection nor be affected by it in later development. But a around 15% of babies born with the virus do develop problems - either at birth or in later years - including hearing difficulties, blindness, learning difficulties, restricted growth

of breath and back pain. In more serious cases of polyhydramnios the extra pressure of the womb puts the mother at greater risk of premature birth. If you have severe polyhydramnios your doctor may recommend that you leave work earlier than planned and rest

Many women in the UK now leave hospital within a day, or even a few hours of giving birth (although if you've had a caesarian it's usual for you and your baby to stay in for four or five days) which means that before you've had the slightest chance

might want to wait until after your first scan, or as soon as you start to show, or be keen to share the excitement with them as soon as you find out you're pregnant - there are positives and negatives to both. If you do tell older children early

're confident that their approach sits well with your own concerns and priorities. You can also start drawing together your birthing preferences into an early version of your birth plan. If you're working then you may be wondering exactly what your maternity

carries higher risks of pregnancy complications, miscarriage and congenital birth defects, however, the good news is that with proper and early care you can greatly reduce these risks. The key to a healthy conception and pregnancy is to plan ahead, get

dentist will be able to advise you on whether you're best leaving a treatment until after your child's birth. X-rays should be avoided in the early months but can later be done safely if your dentist knows you're pregnant and takes the necessary