Many parents-to-be have a rosy view of what life will be like with a new baby. Often reality is completely different! I'm writing two articles for women's magazines looking at the trials, tribulations - and joys - of parenthood and I'm looking for people who might be willing to be interviewed. the first feature for a well-respected weekly women's mag will explore the difficulties faced by many new mums and look at ways in which people could better prepare for parenthood. It's intended to be a sensitive and responsible article, with information and advice from experts, as well as tips on where to go for help. To illustrate the article, I need a number of case studies who would be willing to be named and photographed (this might sound a little daunting, but, in fact, each case will only make up a very small part of the overall report. Each interviewee will receive a fee for their time and trouble. In particular, I would like to interview a mum with a baby under six months about the difficulties she encountered in the first few weeks, especially if the experience was very different from the one she'd imagined while she was pregnant. I'd also like to speak to anyone who feels having a baby has adversely affected their sex life, perhaps because they're too tired, too sore, have lost interest in sex, or maybe because their husband has. Finally, I need to find a couple with differing views on discipline (ie one in favour of smacking, the other not, one will give a dummy, the other hates it, etc).
For the second article, I need to interview three mums anonymously. I'm looking for someone who split up with her partner within a year of giving birth, someone who emotionally shut her partner out in the first few weeks/months while she focussed on the child/adjusted to motherhood, and someone whose partner left because he couldn't cope (perhaps going to stay with a friend or even having an affair), but he has now returned to the family home. There will be no names or pix and everything will be dealt with in the strictest confidence. Please email [email protected] or call me on 0117 9091591 for more information. Best wishes, Leah Maguire