As you count down to the arrival of your wee one, you're bound to be given loads of advice by those around you, and spend loads of time nesting and planning. However, no amount of list writing or planning can really prepare you for all the changes you're about to face. Here are a few ways that becoming a parent is going to change your life.

Something that you will hear over and over again is, "everything is about to change" and, "your life will never be the same." If you're like me - you will simply smile, and say something like, "I know."

Trust me though, you don't know!

Becoming a parent changes you emotionally

On the morning I gave birth to Squidgy, the midwives at the hospital told me that I was not in labour. You can read her full birth story here. Four hours after first being told I was not dilating or in labour, almost without warning, I became a mother.

In that moment, everything changed. What occurred was completely different to anything I had felt before. I felt raw, exhausted, selfless, and completely overprotective. I didn't care about the things that were happening to me, I was consumed by this little life that I had brought into the world.

I was a new person.

I was a mum.

This tiny little person was fully reliant on me, and I would never be the same again.

Becoming a parent changes time

You would not believe how quickly time flies. I feel like that story of Squidgy's birth was yesterday, and now she's 6 and has not only a little sister, but a baby brother too!

It's not just how quickly it passes from day to week to month to year, it's also the fact that everything takes forever to do. For example, getting around the supermarket takes twice as long, that is if you can even get out of the house on time! Journeys feel like they take longer too. From constant stops for loo breaks at sevice stations to trying to keep them in their seats on trains.

Becoming a parent changes how much stuff you have and need

This includes all the nappies, wipes, baby gyms, cribs and cots, car seats, changing bags and so much more than you will need for your baby. (You can check out my baby essentials list here to they and keep the number of items down!) The more children you have… the more you will need!

Becoming a parent won't just change your life once

How much your life changes won't stop with the initial changes birth brings. When you're a parent your life is forever changing. It changes the day they learn to crawl, and you have to consider new hazards. It changes the day they learn to climb, and you panic they'll fall off whatever they've just conquered. It changes the day they learn to walk, and a whole new level of items is suddenly in reach. It changes the day they learn to talk, and you can't ever get them to be quiet.

Everytime they learn, everytime they grow, every milestone they reach, will change your life once again. Then it will change all over again when you add another child to your tribe.

For more blog posts about new babies from photos to must have products, check out the category here. What changed the most for you when you became a parent? Let me know in the comments below.