Nobody Told Me

Winner of the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry

''This book should be required reading for anyone thinking of having a baby, or even anyone who knows someone who is thinking of having a baby'' Scotland on Sunday

''Fascinating and honest'' Mumsnet

''Like talking to a friend'' Observer

There were many things that Hollie McNish didn''t know before she was pregnant. How her family and friends would react; that Mr Whippy would be off the menu; how quickly ice can melt on a stomach. These were on top of the many other things she didn''t know about babies: how to stand while holding one; how to do a poetry gig with your baby as an audience member; how drum''n''bass can make a great lullaby. And that''s before you even start on toddlers.

But Hollie learned. And she''s still learning, slowly.

Nobody Told Me is a collection of poems and stories; Hollie''s thoughts on raising a child in modern Britain, of trying to become a parent in modern Britain, of sex, commercialism, feeding, gender and of finding secret places to scream once in a while.