Friendships change when you have kids.

When you’re younger and freer, you can easily maintain friendships, as popping to the pub, spontaneous road trips, holidays and house parties are easy to maintain. But once the adorable ruiners of your social life arrive, things change. They have to. Babysitters are expensive. If you’re breastfeeding you are somewhat restricted to the time you can be away from the baby. You’re likely to be too exhausted to even stay out later than 8pm, and even if you do – you find yourself thinking about, talking about, and missing your baby/babies.

So, some friendships fall by the wayside. Those without children and responsibilities carry on the way they always did, unaware that the centre of your universe and your priorities have been utterly transformed. If you’re lucky, some of them will make the effort to stay in your lives regardless of the fact that you just can’t be ‘there’ as much as you were before. However, it’s likely that you’ll lose at least a few. They just don’t ‘get’ it. And that’s OK.

You may find yourself missing the ‘old life’ the spontaneity, the freedom – but that is outweighed by the ability to take your bra off and put your PJs on at 6pm, lock the world out, and snuggle up with your little family.

It can be lonely, however – so make sure you find yourself a tribe. Online is brilliant – groups like the Motherload nationally, and our group the Worcestershire Mums Network locally – are fantastic places to get non-judgmental support from other mums in the same boat as you.

Some of the friends I’ve met through motherhood have become the people closest to me. A family, a support network, a sisterhood. Sometimes we go months without seeing each other – but that’s OK, because we all understand that that’s just the way life is now.