The Agony And The Ecstasy
By Jackie Parkes
The author lives in Birmingham, England, with her husband Andrew, a policeman, and their ten children. She used to keep a blog where this article, slightly amended here, first appeared on 8 November last. It appears here with Jackie’s permission.
November is often a painful time for me. Eight years ago, after the birth of my tenth child, Jacinta, in October 2000, I was plunged into a darkness so deep it was unbelievable. Something went very wrong with my head such that I, ‘super-mom’ of nine couldn't seem to dress the baby with ease. Things reached the point where my mind retreated, leaving a shell.
The author lives in Birmingham, England, with her husband Andrew, a policeman, and their ten children. She used to keep a blog where this article, slightly amended here, first appeared on 8 November last. It appears here with Jackie’s permission.
November is often a painful time for me. Eight years ago, after the birth of my tenth child, Jacinta, in October 2000, I was plunged into a darkness so deep it was unbelievable. Something went very wrong with my head such that I, ‘super-mom’ of nine couldn't seem to dress the baby with ease. Things reached the point where my mind retreated, leaving a shell.