I know this was written well and truly over a year ago, but my top tip for a first time mum is to be prepared as early as you can so you can rest as much as possible in the last trimester. And once bub is born – do not be scared to ask for help from family and friends!!
Hope all has gone well for you with your arrival of your baby!!

congrats! definately buy lots of sheets, towels and blankies. babies will make you go through every sheet that you have for them and every sheet that you have for yourself in a few days. Some babies spew a lot or have nappy leaks/explosions lol

You will be surprised how your instincts kick in.
I would say:
– Dont compare your bub to others – they are all different
– Dont be afraid to say no – to visitors, or any pressures people put on you
– Dont worry about what you house looks like – just rest!
– Stock your freezer now with pre-cooked meals – a quick zapped dinner is a lifesaver

And finally, enjoy every minute, not matter how tough! Our babies grow too fast! Treasure every moment!

My best advice is “Just because it happened to someone else, doesn’t mean it will happen to you”. There are so many people who tell first time mums all their horror stories and it starts to freak you out, but remember just because that is someone else’s experience doesn’t mean it will be yours

Don’t take everyone’s advice too seriously! Everyone will start telling you what to do and what they did – sometimes it’s just best to listen but choose what to hear

there are some good comments here

congratz
cant wait to have my own one day i have a step daughter tho

breastfeeding is harder than you think….. ask for help if you need it

Don’t doubt yourself no one has a baby and knows everything we are all on a journey learning having children and sleep when baby sleeps, the first 6 weeks are the hardest and you will be surprised how little sleep you can survive on! Good luck

Go with your gut and trust in yourself as a parent. Don’t let anyone push you into anything you are uncomfortable with…. This is your child.

Trust your instincts, but also take notice of some people who have already had babies and have similar ideas to you

congratulations! My advice would be to listen to everyone’s advice and choose to follow what you want to. if you do something a different way to someone else then go with that but don’t let anyone tell you that you are doing it the ‘wrong’ way. Do what works for you and your baby.

Stick to a routine. Sleep when your baby sleeps even if it when your not really tired. Stock up on baby needs you can never find a dummy at night when you really need one. Buy baby panadol. sudocream (nappy rash cream) , Take lots of photos their only young once and you will wish you took more later and make sure you take one of the whole family. enjoy its an exciting time

Never be afraid to ask for help!

First congratulations !!!!!!my advise to you would be to just go with the flow.

you may not think it when you feel like an overtired zombie, but you will survive! but then every baby is different you might have a baby that sleeps through and is an absolute angel. what to expect when your expecting is a good book. one thing the midwife said when giving newborns a bath is to put a warm facewasher on the babies chest- they like the security, made my baby stop crying in the bath, as soon as you take it off she started crying so it works! she doesn’t need it now. now you can squirt water in her face (naughty daddy) and she thinks its hilarious!

Expect the unexpected! That’s probably the most apt thing anyone can tell you, because every baby is different. My now 3yo son didn’t sleep well at night for the first 6 months of his life – in fact, for the first 12 weeks, he would sleep really well during the day, then every night, from 8pm to 3am, he wanted to party. I nearly took him back to the hospital to ask for a refund because I couldn’t handle the lack of sleep any more.

What made my world a bit more sane was that I knew I had people I could turn to – our early childhood nurse was great, and through the early childhood centre, I participated in their “parents’ information sessions” where our Mothers Group was formed. Our group still meets weekly and all the parents have become very close friends. Sharing my experiences with this group of amazing women really helped, as I was to find out that I wasn’t the only one experiencing some of the difficulties.

Don’t be anxious. If you go with the flow, instead of trying to control everything, you may find it easier to cope. I tried to control everything – trying to stick to a schedule, setting strict routines, and when all else failed, just holding the baby until he fell asleep or became calm, thus throwing every routine and schedule out the window.

The best piece of advice that I was given, and I still follow it to this day, is “do whatever works”. Books and experts and websites and the like tell you to do this and that, and no matter how many books you read, your baby is not the one the book is based on. No baby is a textbook baby, and just because something worked for someone, it doesn’t mean it will work for you. The books are good at giving helpful hints – just adapt those hints to suit you, your family and your baby.

Even though our first 12 months together were rough, I would still do everything exactly the same. There’s nothing quite like a gorgeous smiling child looking up at you, so adoring, trusting and loving you unconditionally. When that happens, it doesn’t matter that you’ve had 2 hours of sleep, you can’t remember the last time you had a shower or brushed your teeth, and the laundry is piled high to the ceiling waiting to be washed. Enjoy those precious moments with your little one. Good luck!

First Every baby is different and every baby has different needs. My little boy was such a fussy baby, wouldn’t eat properly would sleep. It was a nightmare in doing so I spoke with my health care nurse whom passed me onto in home help. I was able to get my little boy to sleep. Were most babies will feed right from the very start and sleep wonderful, make sure you have people around you to support you, speak with your health care nurse of Doctor with any concerns. Join a mothers group. It is tiring at the start but it does get eaiser

Expect it to be a bit of roll-a-coaster ride for the first 8 weeks but I promise it gets a lot easier once these first couple of months are out of the way. Trust your insticts! Don’t think you need to act on every piece of advice your friends and family will give you, but listen nonetheless. My advice would be to establish a routine ASAP. (Calm baby, confident Mum is a great read!) Most importantly enjoy every moment with your precious little baby. It goes sooooo quick! (My little one is 5 and half months and I can’t believe how its flown!) Good luck!

Just enjoy this new experience, look after yourself & grab cat naps when bub is asleep! Join a playgroup as mixing with other new Mum’s you tend to help one another out with ideas.