ONE year ago Esther Dallimore was nursing injured soldiers in the war zone of Iraq - now she is nursing her new bouncing baby boy.

The 27-year-old leading naval nurse, of Ebbw Vale, says that not even combat training has prepared her for the rigours of disturbed sleep and changing nappies.

She said: "Leo really is lovely but it is such hard work.

"I thought having been through military training, with sleep deprivation exercises and being in the Gulf where we got no sleep, would have prepared me for motherhood, but it hasn't."

Esther, who served on RFA Argus off the Iraqi coast during the invasion, is soon to be decorated for her service, but she says new mums are the ones who deserve the medals.

On a visit to her mum in Ebbw Vale she proudly showed off two-week-old Leo.

His birth was an extra surprise because before he was born midwives had told her Leo was a girl.

"I just couldn't believe it when they said he was a boy, I'd bought all pink baby clothes and picked a girl's name.

"But it was a lovely surprise and his dad, who's working in Spain, was really pleased."

Tonight Leo will be with his gran as Esther enjoys a night out in Newport with her old school friends.

She said: "I haven't had a night out for 10 months so I'm really looking forward to getting it out of my system."

It is a far cry from a year ago when Esther's nights were taken up by tending to the wounded as attacks were launched from nearby carriers.

She said: "When the first attack was launched it was really frightening and I thought I might not ever come home.

"When the casualties started coming in you forget everything and do your job.

"We had to deal with a lot of injured civilians and Iraqi soldiers, it couldn't be further from what I am doing now."