Why new mothers are so fed up

Exhaustion and the pressures of trying to combine a career and family are combining to make new motherhood a nightmare for most women, according to a survey published this morning.

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The survey, by Mother and Baby Magazine, found that most mothers are getting by on five hours' sleep a night. They're tired at work - and too exhausted to contemplate sex when they get home.

Just over half of the women questioned (56 per cent) said that weariness left them "in a state of despair".

Ninety per cent said their relationship had been affected - and 92 per cent said they felt wrecked at work.

Older mothers

Older mothers find having a new baby in the house particularly tough, according to the survey. Seventy per cent of those over 35 admitted to being most irritated when their child cries.

Working mothers also find the pressures enormous.

Nearly two thirds said their boss wasn't understanding about tiredness at work - and 88 per cent of working mums with small children said they felt fed up, exhausted and pulled in too many directions.

So: why are new mothers so fed up? Has it always been this bad - or are the pressures of modern life so great that motherhood has become a nightmare?

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