I was thrilled this week to hear about the safe delivery of William and Kate’s baby, Prince George. I know that there has been probably a little too much coverage of the event, but there is nothing like the arrival of a new baby to warm our hearts.

I do wish the royal couple well – they seem like a really sensible pair, determined to bring their baby up as ‘normally’ as they possibly can, and I do hope that the press give them space to do this.

New parenthood is really quite a scary prospect – there is really nothing that can truly prepare you for the arrival of a baby, as I can well remember when we had our first son, Olly, now nearly 20. Everyone wants to give you advice, from feeding to bathing, to changing nappies and the whole thing can seem quite overwhelming. Looking back, I think the best advice I can give to new parents is to go with your own gut instincts, as these are often the most reliable. There really is no right or wrong way, and as long as you are doing what you feel is right, then that’s the best thing you can do.

There is an advert at the moment which I love which is actually for a certain brand of formula milk (and I’m not going to get into that argument) it shows new mums coping with looking after a baby, and the end shot is a frazzled woman soaking in a bath picking up one of the baby’s bath toys – which I think is one of those turtles that move around. The end comment is something like ‘take it from us, you’re doing great’ and I love the sentiment behind this, that its not easy being a new parent, its a huge adjustment, so cut yourself some slack, be kind to yourself and go with the flow.

Perhaps most of all, enjoy this time, that baby smell does not last for long  – I should know, having recently had a houseful of teenage boys …

To all new mums and dads, my warmest wishes,

Wendy x