Your Wife's Mother's Day

Young mums have never had it so tough.With celebrities 'pinging' back into shape three weeks after giving birth, the pressure to be a yummy mummy has never been greater. But, 9 out of 10 of them have to go back to work after childbirth, unlike celebrities. Juggling the job and a family, means working the equivalent of an extra 120 hours a year, according to the London School of Economics. And, worst of all, she has to do all this on half the sleep her mother had, says research by Mother & Baby magazine.

With self image subjected to constant media attack, is it surprising that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons has reported that in 2006, 365,000 women between the ages of 20 and 39 opted for the "Mommy makeover" – a surgical shortcut back to her pre-baby figure? Over here, a quarter of new mothers confessed to considering cosmetic surgery. The same survey* of 2000 new mums found that three quarters were shocked by the effect pregnancy had had on their bodies.

As women grow ever self-conscious, the bedroom is becoming an increasingly frosty place; there has been a 140 per cent rise in the number of UK couples attending sex therapy sessions with Relate since 1996. In over half of cases, it is the woman who has the perceived problem and the majority cite lack of desire as the reason. Experts say that points to two things; exhaustion and lack of self-confidence. In short, women are frequently too tired or lacking in self-esteem to feel sexy.

So, this Mother's Day, why not do something special for the superstar mother of your children, as well as your own mum? On page two we have some ideas on how you can help tackle a modern mum's biggest issues and win a bigger piece of her heart in the process...