Your child is a very fiber of your being yet an entirely different creature altogether. When a woman becomes a mother, everything about her changes, both automatically and gradually, over time and with experience.
As human beings, we are spiritual creatures. We also have mental, emotional, social/relational and physical parts of our being. Another part of us is our intuitive and instinctive side. Then, there are always professional/occupational and financial aspects. As a mother, all of these parts are turned inside out, shaken up and stretched.
When you have somebody else to care for throughout their entire life, you cannot think of life the same way anymore and you cannot think of yourself the same way anymore, either. Your mind is constantly creating strategy, calculating and organizing. Your thoughts travel between topics regarding your child's care, their future and their well-being so very often that thoughts regarding your own being can easily get put on the back burner. This is not a good thing, though - not usually - the healthier a mother, the healthier their child can be. Mothers who think of themselves last all of the time eventually burn out and are not able to help their child as best as would be possible if she'd taken more attention toward her own care. Priorities must be set and managed as well as constant schedule regulation and organization. The preceding are mental changes that motherhood brings to women.
Physically, women are obviously more fatigued and probably have gained weight since before pregnancy. Everybody can anticipate fatigue and extra weight as well as soreness, aches and pains but there are many non-obvious physical changes that many women experience and endure when they become mothers. For one, hormones during pregnancy lead to a lot of changes! Her appearance can alter dramatically. Most changes dissipate post-delivery. Her hair may grow a few inches, change color or/and begin to fall out. Nails can lengthen beautifully or grow weak. Skin can become dry and develop rashes. Discoloration is common as are stretch marks. Internally, organs shift. Your heart enlarges. Breasts also enlarge and, eventually, lactate. These two were other "obvious" ones, though. Not so obvious or expected, however, is that many mothers have weakened bladder control post-delivery and some have even lost a tooth or two. Mothers who had cesarean sections (c-sections) usually also have incision scars long after delivery. You never know - it depends on the individual woman, her lineage and environment, as well as the prenatal, perinatal and postnatal health status she has and the continual health care she receives - just how a woman will physically be affected at the onset of pregnancy and shift into motherhood.
Socially, a mother has to tailor her crowd according to her child. Sick people should be kept at a distance as should frequent smokers. Those who like to party all of the time may not see a mother for weeks and even months at a time even if they used to see her every night. A mother may become detached from her friends for a while, whether reluctantly or because she thinks it is best for her child but friendships and relationships that a mother has are just as - if not even more - important and even vital after the child is here. Mothers still need to feel acceptance and support from their peers. She made need them for babysitting or to escape from the house at times, even if they are the ones who set up a babysitter and drag her out for her well-being. Mothers have a different type of honor in society and are usually dealt different expectations and higher standards. Mothers are given more respect and higher esteem, socially, than women who are not mothers when it comes to accomplishment and "status" or "quality of life." ("She can do all of this and that AND raise a child!")
Emotionally, all of these changes take a toll, especially first time around and especially after a length of time. A woman may feel overwhelmed with creating balance in her and her new family's life. As mentioned in regards to social changes, mothers still have an emotional need to be in the company of friends and crave appreciation, approval, encouragement, comfort, support and help from peers. Pregnancy hormones throw emotions all over and once the baby comes, prayerfully, the mother does not deal with postpartum depression. Even so, her continual growth in emotional attachment to her child is accompanied by her detachment from others and even her very own identity, sometimes. Many mothers just accept the joy out of the experience and soak it all up while other mothers are always also wondering, "Where did my life go?" Motherhood has all new sorts of emotions, most of which are for the child. You love them beyond words the very first time you lay eyes on them. It also brings a sense of honor to be one who is trusted and blessed to carry and bring another person into the world that you are responsible for. Motherhood causes a woman to mature and gives a sense of self-satisfaction. Self-satisfaction comes because you know that you can do anything for your child when needed and you know you can because you know you will...you know you will because you know you must. When it comes to your child, you are protector and nurturer; you are best friend and guiding hand; you are mom.
Must I really go into financial changes? I'll say this much, though: Your money may be less in quantity and the budget may have changed drastically but you will still spend any (and I mean any) amount of it to help the child. Some mothers go overboard while some stay sensible. Overall, it can cost anywhere from $200 - $20,000 to raise a child...for just one year. A child's needs mean there must be a steady income to help provide for them. Another important issue is having insurance, investments and bank accounts for savings.
Women are in every work field, from engineering to the arts. Traditionally and stereotypically, women are expected to fit in perfectly in child-friendly arenas, such as daycare centers, because women are said to have natural nurturing capacities. Women are also expected to transition into motherhood smoothly. However, none of this is always so. Professionally, mothers have different job opportunities than other women do. Mothers soon find the need to work around their family's schedule or to help their family get around their work schedule. Mothers struggle daily to balance home life and career, even striving to mesh the two. For example, my mother eventually had to choose to make her home into a daycare center and so has done for about twenty-five years. Many women choose to work at home, at least for a while, or more often than she would have prior to becoming a mother. New mothers need to rest, recover and get back into the swing of things. Child-friendly arenas such as daycare centers become more appealing as compared to a cubicle in a stuffy office building. Working as a secretary at a telephone company is far less appealing, not to mention much less feasible, to a mother than to a woman who has no children. Mothers are pushed further into career because of the financial demand of motherhood. Some mothers also feel the need to prove to their children that they can work wherever they want and still have family. Mothers, especially when it comes to their daughters, may not want to be stay-at-home moms for that reason. Others take the full responsibility and joy of motherhood and set an example that family is what is most important and is where everything starts. Many new mothers opt to take on the job of staying at home to raise their children. They are content with motherhood being their sole occupation. Family comes first so stay-at-home moms have no problem staying at home. Her individual career pursuits will most likely be based in the home. Still, there are those out in the work force. To get back into the workforce is a common desire of new moms and their families, in order for her to "return to her 'normal life.'" It seems it may assist her in staying in touch with her identity to continue pursuing her passions and exercise her work ethic. Yet, it doesn't always work out that way. Women are already paid less than their male counterparts and in addition to that, mothers are often hired less due to financial and reliability reasons. (Why pay someone who will call out sick to take care of a sick child or who needs maternity leave?) Yet, what many have not come to realize is that, upon entering motherhood, women become even more equipped for whatever their occupation. Time-management skills, attention to details, the ability to multi-task and the virtues of patience and perseverance all increase. These are required of mothers and become second-nature to them. Because of a mother's responsibilities and time constraints, she is more focused on the job and is, therefore, a better candidate than somebody coming to do the job for underhanded, half-hearted reasons.
The last change is instinctive and intuitive. Mothers are constantly thinking of and sensing ways to better the world their children live in. Getting gates to block them from falling down stairs and plugging up outlets so they don't electrocute themselves are common, prime examples. Mothers did this before the term "baby-proofing" came about. Not so common is halting a child way before they get near that counter they would bang their head on or catching spit-up or drool before it comes. She anticipates what can happen and does her best to maintain an environment of safety, comfort and most of all, love. One example is that, where the average working woman totes mugs of coffee around, an average working mother of young children can't drink the same way she once did, for fear of burns. She either designates a coffee break time when she knows she won't need to do anything with the child or she forfeits her regular morning brew and grabs some on the go. It's instinctive to do whatever needs to be done for the child and intuitive to know what needs to be done. Mothers are superheroes in this sense and many others.
Women change a whole lot when we become mothers.