I'm so 'touched out' by my 3 children that I don't even want my husband to touch me

• I have three kids, ages 7 and 4-year-old twins. 
• I'm constantly being touched, talked or followed by my kids and it leaves me exhausted. 
• At one point I recoiled at my husband's touched because I was so touched out. 

One of the best things about being a mom is the delicious cuddles and kisses you get from your children. As a parent, knowing you're the No. 1 person in your children's lives is an amazing feeling.

But, I'm not ashamed to say that sometimes I go and hide in a room away from my family or make up an excuse to go for a walk, just so I can avoid having small people follow me around the house, stroke my hair as we watch television or climb all over me when reading books or playing.

They follow me everywhere

I can't go anywhere in our house without being either accompanied by one of my three children — toilet and shower included — or being shouted at from downstairs or another room.

The noise and demands are relentless and exhausting.

I might be cooking dinner while one child needs their bottom wiping, one wants a hug, and another is looking for a toy they've lost. I find it impossible to concentrate on one thing at a time anymore because there are always so many voices talking at me simultaneously.

Add in children hurting themselves and needing comfort or waking in the night and climbing into bed beside (or on top of) me, and my personal space and body autonomy are nonexistent.

I'm 'touched out'

I had never heard of the term "touched out" before I became a parent, but I soon became familiar with it when I was breastfeeding our firstborn. In one day, the time I would spend with a baby, either feeding from me, sleeping on me, or not wanting to be put down at all, was so great that if my husband tried to hug me or innocently touch me in bed, I would physically recoil and move away.

When we went on to have twins two years later, it became an even greater issue. Not only was I breastfeeding two babies, but I also had a discombobulated toddler who needed a lot of extra love and reassurance. Sitting on the sofa alone was — and still is — a rare occurrence. I usually have at least one child on my lap and another by my side, and the chatter and touching that goes with it can sometimes feel completely overwhelming.

As they have grown older — aged 7 and twins aged 4 — I have come to realize that it's possible to love your family more than anything while also feeling a desperate need for some space away from them.

My husband doesn't feel how I do

Sadly, this has extended to my husband too.

While our children do climb all over him, it's usually in a playful, wrestling way rather than a snuggly "I need comfort" way. This means he rarely feels touched out, whereas I have come to associate touch with meeting people's needs.

This means that when it comes to physical contact and intimacy between the two of us, I'm always the one who's less interested. Even just having a hug in the kitchen can sometimes feel like too much, let alone anything in the bedroom.

He understands that by the end of the day, I often feel overwhelmed, but I'm sure that he also feels hurt and rejected sometimes. We've found ways to make things easier, such as date nights and time away from the children, plus small things like a foot or shoulder rub while we're watching a film.

I feel like being touched out is just another example of what a roller coaster parenthood is. No one tells you about these things before you have children.

I know that in a few years' time, I'll be desperate for my boys to give me a cuddle or kiss, and I'll be dealing with a whole new set of emotions and concerns.