of muscles working hard, squeezed and stretched. The more tense you are, the harder it can feel, so the point of the relaxation and breathing you learn is to help you work with your body.Discuss your fears with your partner, friends and health experts

of miscarriage. It also indicated that women exercising more than seven hours a week were also more at risk.Our expert Claire Friars, midwife for Tommy's the baby charity, says, 'The risk of exercise is of overdoing it and overheating, particularly in the first

Staying upright and active can help you have a faster, easier birth – here’s our guide to some good positions for labour.Most experts agree that the traditional position for labour of lying down on your back (which we always see in films and on TV

Caffeine has been suggested as a risk factor for miscarriage, but different studies have thrown up conflicting results. What should you believe?Our expert Claire Friars, midwife for Tommy's the baby charity, say, 'Midwives have been saying for a

!But Natalie Smith (above) has been crowned our Supermum 2010, as voted by other mums, and she wins a well-deserved luxury spabreak for two, plus a year's supply of Milton products.Remember, just by giving your baby the love, care and protection she needs, you

the womb causing contractions. The concern with using castor oil to induce labour is that it may increase the likelihood of childbirth-related complications such as the mother becoming dehydrated through diarrhoea, and the baby becoming distressed through

A. Generally, it is best to avoid taking hay fever medicine if you’re expecting. However, the older, sedating antihistamines are usually considered safe during pregnancy but, because they can cause drowsiness, take care.Avoid the newer, non-drowsy antihistamines, as their safety ...

Obstetrician Leonie Penna says: Usually, a woman's periods return within a few months of stopping taking the Pill.The fact you've had two periods indicate the problem is not likely to be related to the Pill, but rather something called oligomenorrhoea, which is the medical term f...

OBSTETRICIAN LEONIE SAYS: Due to changing hormone levels in pregnancy, many women experience an increase of vaginal discharge. What you describe sounds like the normal, physiological discharge of pregnancy - odourless and very pale coloured.Yeast infections - thrush - are also mo...

scaring yourself silly imagining all sorts of scenarios. So, here, to calm your fears, are the facts from the experts… What exactly is a tear? It is damage to the skin, tissue and, occasionally, muscles of your vagina and perineum (the area between your