I was recently looking through some old baby photos of Amber and it made me realise how daunting the first year as a mother was. So here are my top tips for surviving the first year.

• Be organised. You will have heard that phrase, “Sleep when the baby sleeps.” This is one which I initially ignored in order to get all my housework done, which in turn meant that I had no time for myself. So my advice is to do little jobs around the house while the baby is awake and occupied, then when the baby naps you can grab some rest yourself.

• Baby Groups. Being a new mother can be really daunting and lonely, especially after your partner returns to work. Find a local baby group, most churches have free groups or a small charge. This is a great way to meet other mums and for your baby to be around other little ones. As they become toddlers these groups can help develop their social skills.

• Meal prepping. Have one day a week where you can cook up some homemade meals for the baby and freeze them to use through the week. This saves cooking meals on a daily basis.

• Online support. Websites like netmums are fantastic for answering those little questions which aren’t important enough to bother your health visitor or GP with.

• Don’t lose your indentity. As great as parenting is, you still need to look after yourself. This might mean going back to work part-time, having an occasional girlie day with a friend or treating yourself.

• Embrace the little wins. Parenting is hard and as mums we put pressure on ourselves to be the perfect ‘Pinterest mum.’ Trust me though, everyone is losing their shit so embrace the moments where your baby sleeps for more than a few hours or doesn’t dirty their nappy right before you leave the house.