So it wasn’t too long before, after a week of no sleep and washing yet another load of diapers, my mind was drifting to getting back to work.

Maggie had taken a six-week pregnancy leave and I had asked for two weeks. But after one particularly rough night of crying baby and nursing and diaper changing, I decided to chat with Maggie about a brilliant idea that I felt sure she would agree to.

Of course, this idea came to me at three in the morning as I was awakened for the fourth time, and maybe this wasn’t the best time to bring it up. But hey, nobody was getting any sleep anyways, so it seemed like a good time. “Hey, babe, are you awake?” I said.

Maggie, nursing, somewhat wryly said, “Yes, I’m always awake.”

“Well, uh, I’ve been thinking that it might be best for me to go back to work, and…”

Maggie abruptly interrupted and said, “No.”

After a long silence, I said, “Just let me finish.” Oh yes, and the other thing about having a baby is the stress that happens in the bedroom.