Extract from From Chapter 1

‘Mothers live in a universe that has not been accurately described. The right words have not been coined. Using habitual vocabulary sends us straight down the same old, much-trodden footpaths. But there are other areas to which these footpaths do not lead. There are whole stretches of motherhood that no one has explored.

‘Mothers complain about their physical isolation, but surely a more fundamental isolation is about not being understood. That kind of isolation arises when a person finds it difficult to communicate an important experience to other people.... It’s hard to find the words to communicate what "looking after my baby” really means.'