BY the time this is published I will be basking in the glow that is maternity leave. I feel sure that it was only ten minutes ago that I was reporting the happy news of an extension to the family.

But in no time at all it appears I am the size of a small house suffering chronic heartburn and waving adios to my professional life for the best part of a year.

It is only now that I have time on my hands to contemplate the magnitude of becoming a mum of two. Not that I didn’t put any thought into it beforehand at all you understand but crikey…two of them? There aren’t enough hours in the day surely!

It seems that I haven’t enjoyed an unbroken sleep pattern for long enough to be considering disrupting it. Ironically Ben has began snoozing until at least 8am of late, that is typical when he is also about to start a new playschool.

My thinking is that settling him in somewhere around the corner in easy ‘pramming’ distance would be handy when there is a baby to consider. Although saying that, a friend of mine did highlight the fact that it was going to be winter and that the misery of sub zero temperatures and sheet rain was not something to look forward to – particularly dressed in my pyjamas which I fully expect to be wearing on the way to drop him off!

The friend who pointed this out was actually my sister-in-law who has just produced her and my brother-in-law’s second son. Gorgeous little thing – I say that, he was born 10lbs 8on (ouch) and has continued on that vain.

Anyway they came down over bank holiday for a little break with their two-month-old and eight-year-old which was lovely, but crikey I had forgotten how much I had forgotten. Ben’s dad and I attempted to take on all winding and changing duties and sent the sleep deprived parents back to bed at every opportunity while we took charge. It seems we had well and truly lost our touch. I had forgotten the joy of hearing a wonderfully satisfying burp at the end of the long bottle and the frustration of when it didn’t come.

By the end of the break we were pretty worn out and not half shell-shocked by the experience. We resolved to have an early night that and every night thereafter until ours was born and then simply brace ourselves for the unrelenting months to follow.