Breastfeeding is a real committment, and often not a short term one either. You will very likely not be seen down the pub every other night. You will very likely not go out for a romantic dinner every friday night. And you will certainly not be wearing smaller bras in the near future.

Breasfeeding for me, was a very important, emotional and fullfilling experience and an aboslutely vital part of raising my son. I started feeding him about 1 hour after he was born, or at least tried to, and breastfed him untill he was 4 years and 1 month and stopped by himself. At first I told myself I will breastfeed him for 1 year. It was difficult to start with, but my Mum had always said that it takes 4 moths to get it right - and right she was. So I went in prepared, I always believed that breastfeeding would be more difficult than giving birth. When he was one, I said I'd continue till he is 2. At two I said I would stop within the next year and certainly not breastfeed till he's 4! Then I started reading about natural weaning....

Over the years I never ever missed going out on a regular basis, but then I was never one of those Mum's who are just waiting 'to get their life back'. I always believed that my life would be comletely different once I had a child and expected the enormous changes. We do occasionally go out for dinner, the cinema or meet friends for a drink but it is infrequent, difficult to organise and honestly, not very much missed.

But maybe I'm just a dummy mummy, even though I prefer to think of myself as a slummy mummy!