to find the sheer physical hard work the toughest thing about motherhood?

[abirdinthehand]

It's not the emotions, or my post-baby tummy, or loss of income - it's the sheer physical work of it. It's the most physical 'job' i've ever done, including working in old peoples homes!

From 3 months when they start pinching and pulling hair and biting nipples, kicking their little legs at you and scratching, to the effort of lifting and carrying all day long, bending and reaching, dealing with a tantruming 2 yr old kicking and yelling, lifting them up and down from highchairs / climbing frames, crawling under the sofa to get toys - i feel physically beaten up by the end of the day. And way older than 28. Is it just me? Are my kids particularly vicious, or do everyones' little darlings periodically maul them?

All good. I have children and work with kids. It means I have flat stomach, not an ounce of fat and toned all over! I love it free workout and much more fun than the gym!

Ahh, but sunny, it's not a healthy workout - at least, my 2 are never organised enough to attack me equally on both sides iyswim. I totally relate to cyteen's mother, my left side's the worst too. 6 month old hefalump baby on left hip, while I wipe noses / mend dinky toys / butter toast with my right hand - so I'mm all wonky!

And the bruises, oh my the bruises... on ankles from having a trike driven into me, on feet from treading on duplo, on arms and boobs from baby pinching, on legs from being accidentaly kicked when nappy changing -

I'm glad it's not just me!

abirdinthehand - I have them coming at all angles as my own kids go there and all the other kids are all over me. I pick up two at a time and have 2 on my legs, sometimes more so I am pretty evenly attacked.

Also op yes all kids tantrum, fight and are boiterous. Its not just yours.

It is physical isn't it?
TBH I don't really know how I managed the first 24 months - it's all just a blur.

I was very fit and healthy when I got pregnant, but had mild SPD when pregnant, a horrific and enormous crash section incision, which cut all the nerves and muscles in my abdomen, and I live at the top of a 5 storey building with no lift.

I have no car and I'd walk the mile to the shops and back with DD asleep in her buggy (the only nap she took until she was 18 months when she stopped napping altogether) and then I would heave the buggy with all the bags attached to it up the steps into the hall and carry babe and shopping up the stairs four times to get all the shopping up and into the fridge and freezer. When Dh was not working he'd give me a hand of course, but he often was with clients, and I couldn't leave the groceries in the hall because of business tenants..

I was so wrecked once I saw two old colleagues walking in the park as I pushed the buggy and walked right between them and they didn't recognise me. I just walked on and started sobbing! I was so wrecked looking they didn't know who I was...

Everything changed when DD was happy to climb the stairs on her own so trips to the shops and carrying the groceries up to our apartment only took one ascent. It was about this time when she stopped waking in the night also that was great.

I still have huge biceps (DD is 6, and carries some of the shopping..) and I laughed a LOT when I overheard a trainer in the gym say that women don't develop muscles.

Something called a HippyChick hipseat carrier helped me when I had to do something with my right arm, and had to hold DD (after she had grown too big for a sling - she's in the top 99 percentile of height for boys).

The hipseat a big belt with a ledge and DD used to perch on it and could see what I was doing. She'd hold on to me and I'd have my arm around her back. Worked well for us and you can rotate it round so that you don't end up too lopsided (if you can use your non dominant arm to do anything useful that is!).

It gets easier when that get older though, and now that I'm (well) past 40, I'm not sure if I'm just crocked with age, and gravity is just winning anyway!!

Tesco have since started to deliver to my area - how I wish they would have done this earlier!

yabu. wait till they are 13 and argueing back at you about everything and anything. always doing what you do, and not what you say. telling you off for stuff you thought they didnt know about, etc etc etc. then you will long for the simple days when all you had to do was feed them, and clean their bums and keep them safe from simple things. when it was only physical.
yabvvvvu.