'I don't take anything for granted this time around,' says pregnant Leigh Arnold

The former Clinic star (35) said she's finding it difficult to settle on a name - especially with her family's views on what she could call her new bundle of joy.

"On the name front, don't get me started. My family's opinions in particular are driving me nuts," the star said.

"Any name I have come up with has either been met with a 'You can't do that to the poor child' from my mum or 'Can't you just find something normal like Jack or Charlotte' from my dad."

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The expectant mother and her husband Steve have opted to wait until their baby is born to see what name suits them.

"We will decide on the name of our little one when we meet them and even more hippy, we will wait to see what name suits them and we believe they want," she said.

The Dubliner has already given birth to two sons - Hunter (3) and Flynn, who tragically died weeks after his birth in 2013.

Despite knowing the sex of her baby, she and Steve won't be letting their friends in on the secret before the birth.

"I know that pregnancy is an exciting time for everyone, not just mummy and daddy. However, I think that we've all become a little over familiar and that the sacredness of the privacy and intimacy of those little questions remaining just between two people has gone out the window," she said.

"I too am guilty of it. My best friend is due and the day I knew she was having her scan to reveal the sex I picked up the phone within minutes of her appointment being over.

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"I've resigned myself to replying as politely as possible when asked questions of the sex and name that 'Yes, Steve and I know what we are having but we would prefer to keep it to ourselves right now'," she wrote in her blog.

"I know it still sounds a bit clipped, but I cannot think of anything else to say without just saying 'No we decided against finding out', which usually shuts people up pretty quickly."

The actress recently said that although she is still grieving after the cot death of Flynn, she was keeping a positive outlook ahead of her new baby's birth next month.

"My perspective is completely different this time around because I don't take anything for granted.

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"It's a very emotional time for both me and Steve because in many ways it brings things back, but we're trying to make this a celebration of new life and a new start," the Foxrock woman said.

"I know that the likelihood of anything happening again is very, very slim so I'm trying my best to be strong."

In light of the tragedy, Leigh said she hopes other women going through difficult times in their lives can look at her as an inspiration.

"I don't want people to ever think that you can't be brave and you can't get through something," Leigh said.

"If people are going to look at me and say, 'She's been through so much in her life' and then see me being positive, that might give them some hope."

*Read Leigh's blog at http://leigharnold.ie/