When you finally reach your baby's due date, you might feel relived, excited, or nervous about the prospect of giving birth and becoming a parent.

The truth is, there's no right way to feel when you know your baby is about to arrive, and everybody is different! We've spoken to real parents and asked them to tell us how they really felt when they reached their little one's due date.

Zoe's Story

"I felt exhausted, stressed and swollen like Charlie and the Chocolate factory when Violet turned into a blueberry and was being rolled around! But extremely excited to meet my little rainbow baby and to see what she looked like. It was definitely worth it all when I saw her little face."

Eliza's Story

"I loved being pregnant but there were so many symptoms that I never knew about. People don���t discuss the weird stuff enough! I had a moment of anxiety around labour but that didn���t last long at all. I spent most of my pregnancy really excited for labour just to experience it!"

Delia's Story

"When I found out I was pregnant I was over the moon but scared all at the same time.

Unfortunately, we had been trying for about five or six months after we lost our first little bubs, but once we passed the point of being scared, we started getting more and more excited. Now that he has arrived and we can hold him in our arms, we can���t wait to have a second one already, and I���m sure we will feel just as excited as the first time."

Holly's Story

"I didn���t reach my due date because my little girl came early, so my reaction was as mix of emotions.

I was mainly in shock that I was in early stages of labour, I thought I was having Braxton hicks! We went to the day assessment unit at the hospital, and it turned out I was four centimetres dilated and was going to be having my daughter later that night. Well, it was actually the early hours of the morning!

It was the best and scariest feeling, all at the same time. The pandemic made everything feel more uncertain, the fears of getting Covid and not being able to have our parents there for emotional support. But me and my partner got through it as a team, and we have a beautiful daughter together."

Megan's Story

"Pregnancy has been a real rollercoaster, however one of the weirdest feelings leading up to the end was realising I was actually having a baby!

After months of preparing the nursery, buying clothes and extreme nesting ��� hoovering the blinds etc��� I finally ran out of things to do to prepare, and it started to all sink in. I lay awake all-night panicking about being responsible for another person and having totally irrational thoughts. What if he doesn���t love me? What if I don���t know what to do? What if I can���t get him out? It was awful!

I am so excited, but I���ve learnt that it���s totally normal to also be really scared and after reaching out for support I felt much better."

Zoe's Story

"The hospital bags were packed, the baby clothes were all washed and put away and the cot was up. The texts from excited friends and family members were coming thick and fast; 'any signs?', 'is that baby not here yet?!', 'come on! Curry, long walk and lots of sex!'.

Although I was so excited about the fact that I was soon to become a mother, I didn't want my baby to come early.

Some people I followed on social media were saying up to six weeks before their due date 'we're ready for you baby, come on out anytime now!' I couldn't think of anything scarier!

I loved feeling my baby wiggle and stretch inside of me, knowing I was keeping them safe, fed, and warm. A little miracle still growing inside my tummy.

I didn't try any of the old wife's tales to hurry on labour. I was ready, but only once my baby let me know in their own way, that they were too."