This is a stage of my life and being a mother is part of my identity at the moment, just like being a student was, and being a wife etc etc. I have lots of things that make up me and I can add to them, or change them, and I am still me
Agree with this so much, I am still the same, I do different things now to I did pre being a mum, just like I did different things as a student to when I was in my mid twenties. Sometimes I have thrown myself into a job and people have warned me about time for myself, burnout etc etc, but as long as you are enjoying whatever it is you are doing, job, partying, motherhood etc does it matter if you get absorbed in it for a bit. I have found that often comment about losing yourself to motherhood etc come from people who really just would like to spend time with you, and feel they have dropped down in the pecking order a bit (probably they have but that can happen with new job, new relationships, moving etc etc).

I remember at a session with the MCHN when DD was about 14 weeks old, she said she wanted to hear one thing we had done for ourselves that week - I think I said having a coffee with a friend, she asked if baby was with us and I said yes - she seemed to think that, that wasn't a good enough thing to do for myself - had to be something like a pedicure or hairdresser, or nice long bath!!! Having coffee with a friend was hardly for the sake of the baby was it, and her "me time" things are just not things that I do, or have any real desire to do - I find it amusing that alot of the time there is even an expectation of what 'me time' should be for a mum - is my time and if the most enjoyable thing for me is to read BB while BF my son then that is good enough for me, or if I want to sew DD a T-Shirt - that is 'me time' too.