Things that change when you have a baby

Written by Rebecca Woolf and comments from the readers of babycenter.com

1. You finally stop to smell the roses, because your baby is in your arms.

2. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.

3. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.

4. You respect your body ... finally.

5. You respect your parents and love them in a new way.

6. You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.

7. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child.

8. You lose touch with the people in your life whom you should have banished years ago.

9. Your heart breaks much more easily.

10. You think of someone else 234,836,178,976 times a day.

11. Every day is a surprise.

12. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)

13. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.

14. You become a morning person.

15. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.

Comments from the readers:

1. "You discover how much there is to say about one tooth."

2. "You finally realize that true joy doesn't come from material wealth."

3. "You now know where the sun comes from."

4. "You'd rather buy a plastic tricycle than those shoes that you've been dying to have."

5. "You realize that although sticky, lollipops have magical powers."

6. "You don't mind going to bed at 9 p.m. on Friday night."

7. "Silence? What's that?"

8. "You realize that the 15 pounds you can't seem to get rid of are totally worth having."

9. "You discover an inner strength you never thought you had."

10. "You no longer rely on a clock — your baby now sets your schedule."

11. "You give parents with a screaming child an 'I-know-the-feeling' look instead of a 'Can't-they-shut-him-up?' one."

12. "Your dog — who used to be your 'baby' — becomes just a dog."

13. "You take the time for one more hug and kiss even if it means you'll be late."

14. "You learn that taking a shower is a luxury."

15. "You realize that you can love a complete stranger."

16. You find yourself wanting to make this world a better place.

17. If you didn’t believe in love at first sight before, now you do!

18. You start to appreciate Sesame Street for its intellectual contribution.

19. You have to quit watching the news because you see every story from a mother's perspective and it breaks your heart.

20. You just plain love life more - everything comes together and becomes better because of one tiny person and your love for them.

21. You finally find out the real reason you have those breasts.

22. The support you get from other people surprises you, because the people giving it are not always the ones you'd expect.

23. Nothing is just yours any longer. You share EVERYTHING!

24. No matter what you've accomplished in life, you look at your child and think, "I've done a GREAT job!"

25. You want to take better care of yourself for your child.

26. You can have the most wonderful conversation using only vowel sounds like "ahhh" and "oooo."