Yes, having a child changes you fundamentally. The difference in me has been dramatic. Despite all the stress, I am overall far more emotionally stable. I'm more industrious. There's no stress like having next to no sleep and having a screaming baby who needs you. Most things that work throw at you are nothing.

The most important thing is that it teaches you what is and isn't important in life, or at least it did for me. I used to panic when a server or website died at work. For me, now, it's nothing. Of course, it's still urgent and I fix but it actually gets done faster as I'm not stressing about it. The most important thing for me is having healthy and happy children. Work is now a means to that end.

I consider myself successful at this moment in time because my baby is happy, nothing else. Even doctors, whilst she was unwell, noted how happy she was. Her nursery notes how incredibly fast she is developmentally, both mentally and physically. That's all in spite of being bottle fed the majority of her life.

Skin on skin is beautiful. If you want to feel less stressed and find an unexpected inner peace, do skin-on-skin. It's known oxytocin is realised with skin contact, regardless. Doing so with your baby, knowing he or she is so totally dependent on you to live, makes for a profound experience.