Incessantly Meowing Mom

I am currently fostering a 1 year old kitty and (presumably) first time mother. I have had her around 6 weeks and her kittens are 5 weeks old. I got her from our local animal control where she was formerly a stray. She is extremely active, playful, and energetic. She is also very talkative and intelligent. She is the polar opposite of what I think of a "mellow" cat. I confine her and her babies to my bathroom, separate from my two cats.

She has always been talkative, but recently this behavior is getting worse. She meows nonstop at times. (If she is awake, she is meowing!) Sometimes it is when I am not in the bathroom with her (I don't go in when she is meowing so as to not encourage the behavior). Often when I am in the bathroom with her and the babies she is meowing non-stop. Initially after greeting me, she used to stop meowing. More recently, she has been meowing while I am with her, throughout the night (when I try to sleep!) and she is almost inconsolable. Canned food gets her to stop a little. Playing used to stop this behavior, but now she just stares at me or her kittens or space and meows.

Sometimes she seems agitated about her kittens when she is meowing. Even thought they are 5 weeks old and into everything, at times she will randomly scruff a kitten and try to walk with it to a corner. Of course the kittens wonder what Mom is doing and immediately start playing again and run off. Everyone is healthy, growing, and developmentally appropriate. She didn't do this when they were newborn, only now that they are into everything is she doing this.

I am just looking for ideas to help her stay at peace and allow me to sleep and my neighbors to sleep. She has toys, food, and places to jump away from the kittens. My rescue coordinator would probably blame this entirely on "torti-tude". There must be more behind this than her torti-ness, right?

I'm certainly no expert, but perhaps she is coming back into heat. When is she going to be neutered?

She doesn't seem to be coming into heat. It is certainly a possibility, but she isn't doing the typical butt swinging and other actions of a kitty in heat. These behaviors have been gradually getting worse over the last several weeks. I seriously doubt it is her coming into heat- I have known many kitties in heat and she isn't really fitting that picture.

I usually don't spay my fosters until their kittens are weaned at 8-10 weeks. They are safely indoors on the 12th floor of a condo until that time.

Does she ever get to get away from the kittens? When my Booger's litter were around 4 or 5 weeks old,she would act like they were getting on her nerves and she would cry wanting me to feed them for her,or just take them somewhere and give her a little break. If she is withthem constantly in the bathroom with them,maybe that is what's bothering her?

Thanks for the suggestion. That is one of the thoughts I had. I was hoping I wouldn't have to seperate them though. I almost always keep them all together for the entire stay at my home without problems. The moms can jump away from the babies and sit by the sink, if needed. I work during the day and was worried that once I keep her seperate, she will cry even more when left alone. However, it may need to come to this. Thanks.