It is not biology alone but heroism too that drives women to find the will and grit and creativity to put one's own impulses aside to serve the needs of a tiny creature around the clock--especially in an environment in which that heroic choice is only casually acknowledged, much less honored, cherished, or assisted. I believe the myth about the ease and naturalness of mothering--the ideal of the effortlessly ever-giving mother--is propped up, polished, and promoted as a way to keep women from thinking clearly and negotiating forcefully about what they need from their partners and from society at large in order to mother well, without having to sacrifice themselves in the process.