‘Sleep when the baby sleeps’, ‘ban visitors for the first couple of days’ and ‘fill the freezer with homemade meals’ are among the most useful bits of advice mums received during pregnancy, a study has found.

Other top tips according to the poll of 1,400 mums are ‘breast is best’ and ‘don’t worry about the housework’.

Overall, researchers found 84 per cent of mums found the pearls of wisdom shared by family, friends and health professionals useful when they were expecting.

And mum really does know best when it comes to giving advice, with half turning to their own mother for help, although women also go to websites for key information when expecting a child.

It also emerged the average mum actively went in search of hints and tips from books, apps, websites and forums for up to 26 minutes every day during pregnancy.

A spokeswoman for Pregnacare vitamins, which commissioned the research, said: “It’s wonderful to hear that despite living in the internet age, a woman's best source of advice for pregnancy is still her mum.

“There can be so much advice on offer for expectant mums, it can be a little overwhelming – particularly if it is your first pregnancy.

“So, it’s interesting to see exactly what advice people consider to be the best they received."

The top 20 list of good advice for pregnancy also includes ‘don’t Google everything’, ‘don’t eat for two’ and ‘make sure you allow time for a nap’.

‘Try not to compare your pregnancy to everyone else’ made 20 per cent of mums-to-be feel much better about things.

While a further 19 per cent appreciated being ‘it’s okay to ask for help’ by others.

Other pearls of wisdoms mums found reassuring upon the arrival of their baby included ‘don’t rush to lose the baby weight’, ‘talk about how you’re feeling’ and ‘speak to the midwife or health visitor if you have any concerns’.

Advice to get into a routine as soon as possible, and to enjoy the new baby as everything goes by so quickly was also considered invaluable.

However, the poll carried out via OnePoll.com found that despite many women appreciating the advice they were given during pregnancy and after, more than six in 10 found some guidance conflicting.

Thirty-eight per cent of mums were confused as to whether a dummy was a good or bad option, while the same percentage received differing information about bottle and breastfeeding.

A quarter were told different things about drinking alcohol when expecting, and 27 per cent weren’t sure about making a birth plan.

Similarly, 24 per cent of mums were unsure whether co-sleeping with the new born was a good idea.

As such, more than half of mums stopped listening to some advice they were given due to its conflicting nature.

Top 20 best pieces of advice for mums-to-be:

  1. Sleep when the baby sleeps
  2. Try to get into a routine
  3. Enjoy your baby as it goes so quickly
  4. Do what feel right for you and your baby
  5. Breast is best
  6. Try not to compare your pregnancy to everyone else
  7. It's OK to ask for help
  8. Don't make a birth plan
  9. Don't give them a dummy
  10. Don't Google everything
  11. Don't eat for two
  12. Ban visitors in the first couple of days so you can have time with your new baby alone
  13. Make sure you allow time for a nap
  14. Don't worry about the housework after the birth
  15. Accept all offers of help from family and friends
  16. Don't rush to lose the baby weight
  17. Speak to your midwife/health visitor/GP if you have any concerns
  18. Fill the freezer with homemade meals before the baby arrives
  19. Be prepared to feel overjoyed, terrified and overwhelmed all at once /Be prepared for a flood of mixed emotions after the birth
  20. Talk about how you're feeling/how you're coping (good or bad)

What's the best advice you were given before becoming a parent? What's the most useful guidance you can give to a mum-to-be? Add your comments below.