Motherhood has always been celebrated as a magic, an eternal joy, a priceless treasure that endows a woman with fulfillment and completeness. But perhaps this has been a feeling and sentiment cherished and nurtured by the bygone generations of mothers who have mostly been satisfied with a life revolving around their children and families, with probably very little urge to make a niche for themselves in the world of professions and careers. That is not to say that the world has not seen greatly successful career women who were equally successful as mothers, and who have gifted the world well brought-up kids----educated, well-groomed, responsible and capable of being the able future generation who would take up the task of building a better world.

However, the need for hands that can rock he cradle and rule the world with equal dexterity in those days were far too less in comparison to that of today where there is a gigantic rise within the women population across the globe of educated and qualified women, who like men, are capable of harnessing their potential in various fields to establish themselves professionally. For them, motherhood does come with a host of challenges and compromises underneath the joy of giving birth to a new life.

Motherhood entails vital changes in a woman---physical, emotional, and what is more surprising, economic too! While a fashionable, well-maintained career woman may not mind the increasing weight and girth that entails nine-months of child-bearing, she may also find herself growing diffident and hiding under the table at work, for being a rolling mass of flesh with bouts of uncontrollable morning or afternoon sickness. This at times sadly affects her work and might also result in her being discriminated against where someone else may be chosen for a promotion or a recommendation well-deserved by her after years of hard work and labour. She, perhaps, ignores this as something utterly trivial when compared to the joy of showing the life growing in her womb the light of the day. At times, she may also have to give up her career due to the complications that a difficult pregnancy involves, and it is not a small sacrifice at all. Apart from handling terrible pregnancy-rendered mood swings and emotional crises, it also takes away from her the invaluable financial freedom that she has been used to for so long.

At the end of nine months of child-bearing, comes the moment of joy where torn by the throes of birth pangs, she finally hears the first cry of her baby and holds her bundle of joy in her arms for the first time! This momentary pleasure and novelty however is soon replaced by endless days and nights of sleeplessness, tending to the baby, changing his nappy, feeding him at regular intervals, and so on. By this time, she is used to going through the ordeals of pain and hard labour all be herself amidst extremely well-meaning relatives and friends, who, for all their empathy, can just be there but do nothing, as most of it requires  mother's love, care and attention.
Depending on her priorities, a working woman may choose to smilingly provide the constant attention and nurturing that an infant needs for several years till the child grows up and is independent, or can resume work after a couple of months, replacing herself with a trustworthy nanny. In case of the latter, sometimes the guilt pangs can be tremendous. Even if the woman may feel satisfied with managing work, home and children with utmost sincerity and perfection, a good amount of societal pressure might make her feel guilty for not spending enough time with her child. She will be made to forget that it is not quantity but quality time with her baby that matters.
All of these for motherhood, can at times, be a bit too much to handle. Hence many career women choose to be childless today. And for the host of others who cannot decide when to start a family, the decision remains as difficult as ever----it is a leap of faith, and a choice to sacrifice several valuable things for that million-dollar gummy smile of the baby!