Getting out of the house and seeing other people can be very important to your morale and self esteem. It sometimes happens that being based at home looking after small children can make women feel less confident about their abilities in situations and circumstances which they might not have given a second thought to when they were in full time employment.

Probably this is partly the result of doing what is quite a solitary job and partly also reflects the little value and worth that society places on the job of parenting.

We should not minimise or undervalue the challenges involved in becoming a parent for the first time and it helps to remind yourself how many new skills you are learning at this stage in your life - from child care to family psychology.

A mum’s multi-tasking ability is something to be proud of.