They say motherhood changes you - has it?

For me, I've not really changed. Other than my body (c section and breastfeeding, I know I'll never be the same), the first thing that struck me that had changed about me was my sense of being safe in the world. Suddenly I was hyper aware that there was a living, breathing achilles heal of mine in the world and the anxiety I felt at that was enormous. I tried to pretend it wasn't. The scenarios I imagine regularly of harms that could befall my son endlessly play in my head. I know I will never feel completely safe emotionally again for as long as I live.
Other than all of that, yes, I'm more motherly, tender, and everything in me is hormonally geared to taking care of this child to the point my brain cannot retain any other information.
I've lost alot of freedoms.

I wouldn't choose to not have him now he's here, but I wouldn't push the choice of parenthood onto anyone the way some people have done to me in the past. It's really not for the faint of heart. My partner is wonderful and can't do enough but I miss him often because we aren't fully with each other the way we were before our baby. I can't focus on my other family members the way I want to either.

How has motherhood changed you? Your relationships?

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Yes I’d say it’s changed me.
We had been trying to start a family for over Four years until we had IVF and eventually had our baby.
I do think I hugely underestimated the sense of responsibility- I know that sounds daft but things like ensuring I can always find a way to get her to safety should it be needed and not having that extra glass of wine in a night type thing.
My husband has really struggled to bond and I maybe underestimated that too. X

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I saw a saying about motherhood and it was something like, to forever have your heart now walking around outside of your chest, and I couldn't agree more 🤣 the anxiety is next level.

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Completely changed my whole outlook on life, priorities and people/friends/ family x

All for the better x

My heart could burst x she was the missing piece I never knew I needed in my life x

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I think Motherhood has made me more bitter than I realized…

This is such a ramble but I don’t know where else to put it all.

I’m four months in and I don’t really have hobbies right now. I don’t do anything for myself except maybe doomscrolling or listening to a podcast while I breastfeed my baby. I used to craft and have game nights with friends. Activities that usually are at least 2 hour stretches. Now if I have an hour free my mind immediately goes to baby, or doing something in the house for baby.

And I thought I didn’t mind. Like I knew postpartum could be very mentally consuming. But I think it’s altering how I view people around me and it’s prodding at my relationship with my husband.

He spends most of his time making food for us, looking after our dogs, playing with the baby, ect. But he still has time for his hobby. Spends maybe an hour a night on it. Even adapted to using a bot for shopping for his hobby after a certain incident where we had to have a heart to heart after he left me home alone with the baby for hours during a busy workday (I work from home) to shop for his hobby.

And yet there’s like this little green eyed monster in me that rages every time I know he’s running off to start up the bot. Even though I’m the reason he does it this way.

We took a family trip last weekend to see his best friend and their kids and let them meet the baby. He brought the laptop. He’s always brought a laptop on trips and it’s never been a problem to me before. But one night we both woke up while the baby was still asleep, and he wandered out of the room. I tried to fall back asleep but couldn’t. So I went to the kitchen to try having something warm to drink to settle me. And he was there at the table running the bot from his laptop. I flipped out at him. But there really wasn’t reason to. It’s not like I needed help with the baby and he was ignoring me. He wasn’t avoiding our friends. He was just awake and unable to sleep and found something to do with his time. Yet my snap reaction was “why the hell would you do this on a family trip?”

I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the less complete sleep from baby’s middle of the night feed? My brain being just consumed by baby? Maybe I’m not as over that shopping incident as I thought? But I’m just so annoyed at his hobby right now. The green eyed monster thinks “you could be using that time differently” but realistically to do what exactly??? Stare at our baby in the dark???

I spent probably an hour apologizing to him after I snapped. And he’s of course hurt and frustrated because I said some very mean things in the moment.

I don’t want to be this jealous, angry person. But I also don’t know how to find time for myself in this right now outside of basic hygiene. It’s like I’ve forgotten how to be myself, even if just for an hour.

Maybe I need a therapist.

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