A regional daily journalist shared a photograph of herself taken shortly after she became a mum in a bid to get others to do the same ahead of Mothering Sunday.

The Lancashire Telegraph ran the photo of audience and content editor Melanie Disley with then-newborn son Blake as it prepares to publish a special gallery of similar pictures.

The gallery will be published this weekend to celebrate Mother’s Day, with readers being urged to contibute their own snaps even if they look like they’ve been “dragged through a hedge backwards.”

Melanie’s picture was taken in April last year, shortly after she had given birth to Blake.

In a piece encouraging Telegraph readers to submit their own photos, she wrote: “Greasy hair and eyes that haven’t slept in more than 24 hours – check. The happiest smile and adorable bundle of joy in one of our first photographs together – check and check again.

“Ahead of Mother’s Day next Sunday, we want you to share the adorable, touching and poignant pictures of the day you became a mother. This is me exhausted and elated after the birth of my baby boy, Blake, in April last year.

“Whether your picture is Insta-ready or, like mine, more of a ‘dragged through a hedge backwards’ look, send them in using the contributions tool below.

“Perhaps your photograph is the first one taken of you, your baby and partner together. Maybe you didn’t give birth in hospital but have another special snap from the day your life changed forever.”