Changing my identity

It's weird that my identity has been changing over the last year, and more so in the last 9 months, and will make its most drastic turn in the next few weeks with the birth of my daughter.

I've always identified myself as a singular human, and then I evolved to a wife- part of a two person identity. Half of an equal relationship. We each care for each other and take care of each other with interwoven lives, yet still having our individual identities.

Slowly, I've been accepting the next step in my evolution as a human to "mother". I'm becoming part of a three person identity. No longer half of the equal relationship, but split into two different people. Part partner to my husband. Part caregiver to my child. Part of me feels like I'm losing who I thought I was. The academic, the activist, or... its really hard to put your own identity into words. My identity is being whittled down to mother and wife.

I've seen a lot of other mother's express this fear. And I always dismissed it, but now I realize its a legitimate fear, and probably part of the development of going from being childless to a parent.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to be a mom and hold my little girl. I wouldn't change that for anything.