Are you ready for a baby...

If you are considering replacing the Pill with folic acid tablets, think - are you ready for a baby? Having one will change your life entirely, unless you have round-the-clock nannies and don't want to see your child. No one can prepare you, but answering the following questions may help.

How stable is your relationship?
How old are you?
Where do you live?
Can you take a career break?
How stable is your relationship?

If it's rocky, a baby will probably make it worse and being a single parent is hard. Money troubles can also undermine a relationship so what is your financial situation? You can save by buying or borrowing secondhand clothes and equipment, but children usually cost either in lost earnings, or childcare, or both.

How old are you?

How old are you, how happy and how healthy? Though it is medically safer than ever for women over 35 to have babies, don't leave it too late - your fertility will decrease and the risks will increase. If you are 35 and want three children two years apart, start trying now. Also, if you are healthy and happy in yourself, you'll probably have an easier pregnancy and cope better with a new baby.

Where do you live?

Where do you live? Is your home big enough, safe, dry, smoke-free? (If you or your partner smoke, give up now!) If you need to move, do so soon and get any DIY done before the birth - you'll do nothing afterwards. How good are the nearby schools, and when do local children start school? If they start the September after their fourth birthday, you may want to try to avoid a summer baby who will begin school at scarcely four years old, perhaps long before they are ready.

Can you take a career break?

Can you realistically take a career break? Will you get good maternity terms? Can your partner take time out, work shorter days, at least be able to come home on time and then cope with broken nights? If your maternity/job situation is dire, can you give up work or sort out childcare and then think about changing jobs? And do you have access to good childcare? It's worth investigating this as early as possible. Even if you plan to stay at home, you will need supportive friends, family, neighbours or a childcare centre. But, after all this, remember you can't guarantee when - or if - you'll get pregnant. It could take six months or more. There's an old saying about conceiving - there's never a right time and never a wrong time either!