Weary parents in China say the difficulties of juggling work and child care in a costly and ultra-competitive society with little help from the state are at the root of the country's dwindling birth rate. In November, AFP interviewed a 32-year-old mother Nancy, who works in e-commerce in Beijing. She says balancing a hectic work schedule with looking after a child was a herculean task. "If you have one more child, you will have to experience the pain of parenting again... I'm running out of energy," says Nancy. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES