'Luckily I had the same midwife for all my antenatal checks and we got on really well. I also went to antenatal evening classes. They showed us videos about birth and helped us prepare for after-birth care.

'During the fortnight before the birth, I was hospitalised because of high blood pressure, which was quite depressing. But there were other women with problems there and we all got to know each other well, chatting and swapping magazines.

'I had to be induced for the birth. I had Pethidine for the pain at first, but because my blood pressure had been high I had to have an epidural which can help to reduce it. When a contraction came I couldn't talk – your whole stomach sort of tightens. The contractions hurt and pushing to get the baby out was the easy bit, although I tore and had to have stitches. I had a monitor around my bum to pick up his heart beat. He was eight pounds, four ounces – a big boy. They put him on my breast and he sucked immediately.

'Having Keelan had a big impact on our lives. It was like something came out from the ceiling and hit us. For the first couple of weeks, I hardly spoke to Tom. If the baby was asleep, I was asleep. You go through a phase where you ignore each other and there are rows. But if you can stay together through all that, you know it's good. I feel like a completely different person to how I was before I had him, a lot more grown up.

'Financially, I get child benefit each month which is about £60 from when he was born. I also got maternity allowance which is 90 per cent of my pay, plus around £50 a week from the government. That lasts about 18 weeks. Because we were doing the house up we got into a bit of debt. Tom's money was coming in and disappearing the same week. So I work at Sainsbury's now, 12 hours a week, and get £300 a month for that.

'I still see my friends as much as I did before, just in a different way. They come round for a meal, or we go out. I always make the effort to ring them and they call me. One of them went travelling to Thailand the other day and that felt weird. I love listening to my friends and finding out what they're doing, because when you have a child you spend a lot of time staying in. Then again, they'll probably be settling down with kids when I'm back at work.'

If you're worried you could be pregnant take a look at this checklist for the early signs.
Click here if you want to know more about antenatal care.
Find out about some of the complications that can occur during pregnancy
Giving birth can be scary but being prepared will help, here's what happens during birth?
Having children is not cheap, read this for more information on how to cope financially.
Click here for the lowdown on your emotions and body before and after the birth.
For further info and useful links click here.

- Livvy Fernandez 20/11/00