This article isn’t meant to put you off having a baby - not by a longshot! It’s about some hard lessons mothers-to-be have learned about babies.

If you think your new baby is going to thank you for all the effort you put in on its behalf, forget it! And if you think it’s going to appreciate your good taste, forget that too. Babies have no sense of style whatsoever!

As soon as you found out you were expecting, you and your husband pulled out all the stops and learned everything there was to know about your baby’s needs. You happily spent a lot of money on the best convertible crib natural and ergonomic brand as there was on the market - the one recommended by top chiropractors. Nothing was too good for your little miracle!

The fact that you were almost always nauseous, thanks entirely to that little being inhabiting your body didn’t stop you from going out and looking for a bedding collection that your little darling would love as much as you did. There must have been hundreds of styles to choose from, but you persevered in spite of the fact that your baby was already making life miserable for you.

Finally, you found some designer crib bedding that was perfect. You took it home, lovingly made up the baby’s crib and sat back and felt a warm flood of joy over the impending arrival of a new baby in your life.

In the ensuing months, that crib and its beautiful designer trimmings inspired you to ‘keep on keeping on’ even though your growing stomach and all the pain and suffering that came with it were a trial. You would close your eyes and see a brightly smiling, loving baby lying in the crib and you knew that the pregnancy would be worth the pain.

Then the baby was born and you were faced with the awful truth - babies have no respect or appreciation! You and your husband had given it the most expensive bedding on the market and all the baby did in return was pee and vomit all over it! Not only that, instead of falling quickly to sleep in its ergonomically designed crib, it woke up at the most inconvenient times and ruined your good night’s sleep? What sort of little monster was it?

Life was so much better when you were living in your fantasy world, dreaming about what motherhood would be like! The harsh realities sometimes make you regret your decision to have a baby. But, in spite of the soiled designer sheets, sleepless nights and your baby’s total disregard for interior design, somehow it’s still all worth it. Next time, though, you’re just going to buy baby bedding when it’s on sale!