Mother:  A Collective Portrait  by Mary Motley Kalergis

" I don't want any pain medication while giving birth because it seems like one of the quintessential experiences of being a woman, of being alive and human -- to have a child. I don't want my senses dulled at that time. I've always made a conscious effort not to avoid things, no matter how difficult they might be. "

    "I wish I had more role models of women who have children and are able to continue their work. My own mother stopped being a nurse when she had her kids and my sister gave up teaching when she had children. I'm afraid of losing my work in design, which means a lot to me. I'm uncomfortable with the idea of paying a woman to care for my child while I work because I'm not used to it. I guess I'm going to have to get used to it. One way or the other, I have to learn a whole new way to be.