What is it really like? It's the hardest of jobs and the easiest of jobs all rolled into one. It's the most emotionally painful thing you'll ever do, and the most emotionally rewarding experience also. You'll find intensity of feeling you never realised you had.

What are / were you most surprised by? The paradigm shift from pre-Mother to Mother.... in terms of priorities, amount of "me" time, time available for relationships outside of the family (ie with friends, colleagues etc).

What did you wish someone had told you before you gave birth?? I wish I was more aware of the huge hormonal/emotional swings that continue to happen after the first few weeks of birth.... who can forget walking into the pharmacy on day 6 post-birth and bursting into tears because the exact tube of nipple cream is no longer available on the shelf