What is a mother? It is now harder than ever to answer that question. The role of the mother is infinitely complex. Take any street in any town and ask a mother how they would define their role. All the answers will be different and significantly so.

Today's society expects more from women and so their role as mum has to fit in alongside many other demands.

There are not simply the demands of work outside the home. As more and more people live away from their extended families there is less help with child care and so mothers can often feel isolated. Work commitments may lead mothers to expect more domestic support from their partners causing greater pressure on relationships.

There is also pressure on women to carry on working after having a child whether for career or financial reasons.

All these factors affect the way we deal with the demands of being a parent and ultimately our relationship with our children.

This section is about exploring the issues faced by mothers and providing a forum for women to support each other in this demanding role. By sharing real experiences not simply health or government ideals we hope to help mothers cope with the real issues they face in their day to day lives.

You can find information and support about:

• giving birth including birth plans, your experiences and support links;



• postnatal depression and coping with the bad days;



• breast feeding;



• coping alone;



• relationships;



• returning to work;



• your needs;



• separation anxiety;



• bereavement;



• coping as a disabled parent;



• midlife parenting.

We've also included a number of pregnancy diaries, the personal experiences of dealing with some of the rare pregnancy complications and some recommended reading ideas.

Please give us your feedback on these topics and shout if you feel there are areas we haven't covered. We want the site to reflect the reality of your position and can only do that with your help.