Abandon your ego

Check your type A personality at the hospital door on your way in.

What you were in your pre-baby life – whether you worked or not, whether you were CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a student – will have absolutely no bearing on your new role in life.

Unless you can afford a nanny/butler/chef. Then, yay for you!

And unless perhaps you are a midwife or a childminder. BUT even if you have delivered more than 1000 babies in your time, you can no longer just finish your shift, go home and relax with a glass of wine with this particular new job.

And for any pencil-skirted, high-flyers out there, remember those delegating, negotiating, kick ass presentation skills that earned you the last promotion? They all mean zip when faced with your new little crying, eating, pooing machine.

You might have Prince II certificates and MBAs coming out of your ears, but nothing will prepare you for negotiating with a red-faced little guy who can’t actually express his needs in words.

He cannot be negotiated with...at least not until he’s of the age you can start bribing (sorry, distracting) him with snacks.

At 14 months, snacks are the best invention EVER.

But for now, it’s suck-it-up-and-deal-with-it time. And enjoy your own snacks before he learns to steal them...