My daughter is almost 8 months old but it's really only been since month 6 that I've started to look a bit more like my old self. I think a combination of that unique brand of tiredness that only parents feel and hormones playing havoc with my skin and body made me feel less than special, properly unattractive and extremely worried that this was it for me forever.

Sound dramatic? Well, I suppose it is a bit. But motherhood can be overwhelming enough without getting a shock every time you look in the mirror!

I'm not saying that this will happen to everyone, but if I was about to give birth now there are definitely some things I would do differently to look and feel better.

1. Go to bed early
I know this sounds like a no brainer but let me explain. Sleeping when the baby sleeps doesn't really work for many women after the first couple of weeks. There's just too much to do. And going to bed early can sometimes feel pointless if you just have to get up in an hour with the baby anyway.  When you can sleep will depend on your baby's sleeping patterns, so keep a note of them for a couple of days and then figure out what time you can go to bed that will get you at least a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.

2. Get out in the sunshine
I know, I know, what sunshine right?  But it is summer so make the most of it. Getting out of the house will allow you and your baby to soak up some valuable Vitamin D and getting some fresh air will clear your head, put some colour in your cheeks, and could help the baby sleep better. Trust me, as soon as I'd caught the sun a bit on my face I looked 10 times better! Just don't forget the sunscreen.

3. If you can't bake, fake
If the sun ain't shining then there's no harm in a little fake tan to give you a lift. Read our article on fake tanning for mums and mums-to-be.

4. Put some moisture back in your skin
It's hard as a new mum to remember to drink enough water and you could end up feeling a bit shrivelled, especially if you're breastfeeding. To remind myself, I now leave glasses of water around the house! But some external help is also needed. If you bought Bio Oil while pregnant to stave off those stretch marks, carry on using it on your body and on your face. I've found that using this on my face at night instead of my regular moisturiser has really helped get my skin back to normal (ie. not puffy, patchy and dry!)

5. Get to the salon
As soon as you're comfortable leaving your baby with your partner or a relative for a couple of hours, get yourself down to a hair salon for some pampering. We all know how good we feel after a lovely hair cut, so why wait? And if you can sneak a bit of extra time get your nails done too!

6. Eat a few more healthy things!
When you're knackered and you've got no time you don't really feel like cooking. I know I've had more than my share of takeaways and naughty food in the last 8 months. So I'm not saying don't treat yourself, but in among all that do make sure you're feeding your body some healthy stuff too. Try simple things like adding vitamin boosting foods to sandwiches (peppers, avocado, tomato) and cutting up some raw veg to snack on during the day. Shopping will be a pain, so getting your groceries delivered is the best way to make sure you have good stuff in the house.

RL xx