The first few weeks when your babies arrive will be incredibly busy. Friends and family may offer to help out. Not only should you accept these offers, but try to make sure they are helping with real chores (laundry, shopping, cooking, cleaning etc) so that you can have as much time as possible to rest, enjoy your babies and share moments with your partner.

If help isn’t offered, ask for it. People may well be happy to pitch in if you make it clear you would appreciate their assistance. However, make sure that you don’t end up looking after the helper - if someone pops over to see the babies, they will certainly be able to make their own cup of tea (and one for you while they’re at it!).

Help doesn’t always have to be directly with the babies and, if you are in a financial position to do so, you might find paying for a cleaner to come once a week or every once every 2 weeks for a couple of hours will take off some pressure to keep up with the cleaning as well as everything else.

Cooking can be the last thing on your mind, but it is important that you are eating well.  Look at what can be cooked in advance and frozen; if there is something in the freezer that you can just take out and heat up this is going to be much easier and quicker than cooking from scratch. Again, if people ask if they can help in any way, suggesting that they make you a meal is a great option!

In some areas, health visitors will do home visits in the early days, especially for parents of multiples, particularly if you have other children as well. This means the babies can be checked at home and you don’t have to go to the baby clinic. It might be worth checking what the process is for your area prior to your babies arriving so that you are prepared.

Your health visitor may be able to organise some home help for you, though there is no guarantee. Voluntary associations such as Homestart can also help.