My mother was raised in a generation and religious and ethnic background whereby birth control was a forbidden concept. She had 14 full- and 2 near-term pregnancies in 19 years by the age of 41, all singles, with 14 surviving well into adulthood. As exhausted and physically dibilitated as I always knew her to be throughout my life (I was a "middle"), there were times when she actually waxed nostalgic for that sweet new baby touch and scent, which always astounded me considering what she'd been though. I guess if one has that maternal instinct gene (and not every woman does), it never loses its power. In my case, it wasn't in the cards to have more than my single "only," but when I find myself with mothers and fathers and their young'uns, the yearning returns with a surprising power.