IN THE beginning, my son was born. He spent most of his time sleeping, even though he woke every few hours to be fed. During the day, I was wary of him resting too much (thanks to The Contented Little Baby by Gina Ford), for fear that he'd be up all night, so I'd tickle his feet to rouse him and read to him endlessly in the hopes my voice would keep him awake. I boasted that I could easily execute my work obligations and be a full-time mummy at the same time, because the little man was just too good to be true.

Well wasn't that a fact! The older my baby gets (he is now seven months), the more active he has become. While this is fantastic from a child-development stance, it certainly has cramped my writing style. Only last week, I was able to write one paragraph in four hours. Four hours! I didn't even have writer's block. There used to be a long stretch, after his birth, when I could spend hours on the computer, or go for lunch with friends while he was snuggled up in his stroller, completely unaware of being away from home. Everyone commented on what a calm boy he was.

Recently, though, the sleeping beauty seems to think that days are for playing, squealing, wriggling and, on occasion, wining. I am not sure why I thought he'd remain a docile chap, but it simply never occurred to me that he'd change. Sure, he's still always smiling and laughing, but in-between the delight is constant energy. Could he be secretly popping pills or gorging on sugary foods without me knowing?

Prepare for motherhood

The other day, I put him in the middle of our king-size bed with a few toys, while I sat next to him reading the newspaper. Before I had time to realise what was going on, the wee devil had rolled over to the other side of the bed and was heading for the edge, when I caught his legs before disaster ensued. This happened within seconds! I felt like such a bad mother for not watching him closely enough. Now I understood what my friends who have toddlers mean when they say you cannot leave them for one moment.

For all you 'wannabe mummies' out there, think seriously about what you'll be letting yourself in for. Don't get me wrong, I adore my baby and I do love being a mother, but there are times when I am so physically exhausted, I wonder how I'll be able to carry on without a break.

'Wifezilla'

Luckily for me, that comes soon after dusk. Our son's bed time is at around seven in the evening, and any night-time awakenings are dealt with by my honey husband. That being said, there have been occasions when said husband does not get home from work until after eight, and said baby will not go to sleep. Put that together with my hunger and my tiredness and you don't have a very attractive picture.

'Wifezilla' appears. She calls the father of her child and yells a few choice words down the phone, amid complaining that it's his fault and that he needs to come and fix it. Any chance that he dares not return home until after nine, he can sleep in the baby's room on the rocking chair. Never mind the fact that he's a real honey (see above), but when it comes to my own sleep, I do not have a minute to spare!

Emmadaltonbrown@gmail.com

For all you 'wannabe mummies' out there, think seriously about what you'll be letting yourself in for. Don't get me wrong, I adore my baby and I do love being a mother, but there are times when I am so physically exhausted, I wonder how I'll be able to carry on without a break.