Oh, to be on bedrest

So, I was never on bedrest (I was told to stay off my feet, take it easy, etc when I had some pre-term contractions) but honestly, the idea has frequently appealed to me. And it sure does now. The concept first sounded good when I was in medical school, and so damn tired I thought I would die. When I was on my OB/GYN rotation I met women bored to death staying in bed for weeks, and while I do understand how tortuous that could be after awhile, particularly if you have other kids, I would have loved to have tried it for say, a few days. And now, oh what I wouldn't give to stay in bed and watch tv. When I was pregnant I watched tv like it was my job. Now, I watch tv hardly at all, and only at the end of the day. And I am not sure why I am so tired-- I woke up this morning thinking I couldn't wait until I could go back to bed.

What IS so exhausting about motherhood? I really can't put my finger on it. Really, I spend much of my day on the floor playing with toys. What's hard about that? Nothing at all. But I have a different kind of tired than I had at the end of a 12 hour shift running around the ER. I just don't get it. It's really not physically demanding, at least not yet, with one child who doesn't yet walk (I get that with multiple kids who are all running around, it is an entirely different game).

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to sound like I am complaining. I LOVE being a stay at home mom. It is the happiest I have ever been in my life. And I just want to vomit when I hear some mothers around here talk about how hard it is--OK, yes, we need to put a lot of emotional energy into our children, but in this neighborhood, where nearly everyone has a housekeeper at least once a week (and many full-time), life just isn't that hard. The single mom with 3 kids who is working evenings as a waitress while her sister babysits-- HER life is hard. Clipping coupons and really not being sure if you are going to be able to buy both groceries AND gas this week-- THAT is hard. If the hardest thing we have to do in our lives is drive a bunch of kids all over the place (granted, I understand that is a lot of driving and kids these days have a lot of different activities), life is pretty damn good.

I still wouldn't turn down one day of bedrest though....