One of the most memorable things my midwife told me was that three days after giving birth, the pregnancy hormone feast drops suddenly into a hormone famine. It's common for women to feel low and tearful at this time. She was spot on, I literally cried rivers come day four. There was nothing I could put my finger on exactly after either of my births. I just felt totally overwhelmed and helpless. About half of new mothers will feel a bit weepy, flat and unsure of themselves on the third or fourth day after having a baby. It is known as the 'baby blues', and generally passes after a few days. Most cases of PND start within a

Most of us don’t know where to begin when it comes to getting back into shape after giving birth – the sleepless nights, endless feeds and non-stop nappy changing means the last thing you feel like doing is exercise. Post-baby exercise can mean more than just getting back into your jeans - it’s also a great way to meet new mums. You don’t have to worry about finding a babysitter – these exercises are designed to incorporate your baby too.

Independent midwife, Melody Weig from Birth Rites answers YOUR questions. I am overdue but do not want to be induced, do you know of any alternative therapies used to get an overdue labour started? Harriet, London

Most mums-to-be feel confused at the number of books out there to help you get to grips with being pregnant so we asked the UK's first independent midwife, Melody Weig, of Birthrites to give us her top reads. NB: We know this is a long list so we would suggest just buying a few and hitting the library to avoid getting a fat bill. There are also lots of these available second hand books through amazon to soften the blow.