''In one important sense maternity leave is a misnomer, as it involves no actual leave. You are constantly on. Even when your offspring is having a nap, you are gearing up for their next appearance, or on alert for their first whimper before the big cry. There is nothing restful about it. In another sense maternity leave is aptly named, although not in the way it was originally intended. It-s a period of leave from all you know: taking leave of one-s mind, body, job, and relationships''
When award-winning broadcaster Emma Barnett began her second maternity leave, she realised that despite having been there before, as soon as her first leave had finished, the rose-tinted lenses descended and she had immediately forgotten what the experience was actually like when you-re in it. This collective forgetting, which leads to well-meaning comments such as: -enjoy every minute- and -treasure this special time-, is doing a disservice to women, leaving them unprepared for
