To think that actually I am going to have to DO something

[fernie3]

Our whole family has a cold, its a cold so minor that my 5 year old (who normally ends up having to stay off school with colds) is in school as normal. I am 28 weeks pregnant and have high blood pressure, I have been told to take it easy but no one has said "lie down and do nothing" since I left the hospital. The only problem I have had is that as soon as I start moving around my feet and ankles swell to the size of balloons and I feel a little dizzy if I overdo it but I wouldt say that it was outside normal pregnancy.
My husband (who also has the minor cold)has seen me with preeclampsia three times and worries he has declared that under no circumstances am I to go lifting and carrying things around or in fact doing housework at all and yet hasn't actually done anything himself. We are both working from home now and so if he is doing housework or childcare I can be getting on with work (so its not as if he has to do both at the same time).

At first it was fun watching him realize that actually its not that simple to keep the house in a reasonable state and that 3 children under 6 do actually require a fair amount of care. Its only been about 2 weeks really and I have actually tidied up and sorted things out quite alot. Today for example he has taken to the couch with a duvet because of this cold - not sure what he is expecting to happen to our house and children if I did actually sit down and do nothing!

There are now 2 bags of washing to be done (BLACK ones) washing up from yesterday still needs to be done (i did the washing up from the day before) and the house is untidy even for me and if Im honest I am not the tidiest of people normally so its pretty bad.My one year old looks as though she has hasnt been washed for most of her life and theres is jam om the carpet (cream carpet and rented house).

If I start tidying up he has a go at me for doing it - but who else is doing it??

Am I being unreasonable to tell him - either I do it or you do it but SOMEONE has to do it?

[seb1]

He is waiting for the all knowing sorting out fairy that all men believe in to appear and wave her magic wand.

[wukter]

write a list of the jobs and ask him how does he suggestb you split them.

[PickUpYourPants]

He is a man, he has a cold, it is therefore a major event/disaster (for him)

I completely understand how you feel, I can remember being very heavily pregnant strapped to a TENS machine and on physio for a nerve condition that meant my leg gave way/was very painful and having to have a row to get him to clean the bathrooms etc as they had reached the point where they couldn't be left any longer.

Realistically you need to sit him down and explain in simple terms. If you always do it they sometimes just don't understand what it takes to run a household smoothly.

If you are both working at home - do you do the same job/work together. If so can you cover the business side whilst he covers the household side?

Please do not do it yourself.