That is true. A baby will not fix your problems. But I can tell you honestly that mine gave me a reason to live. She has been my only lifeline in numerous crises. She is what has made me hesitate with my means of killing myself. She has made me think twice instead of giving in to impulse. I love her more than life. I love her more than I hate myself.

But of course there is a flip side to this. Babies are hard work. One of my positive attributes is that I feel obligated to take care of my responsibilities. I must do it. So even though some days I didn't feel like taking care of myself, I still took care of the baby and I did it well. I was the one who got up in the middle of the night to feed the baby. I changed most of the diapers. I did the baby's laundry. I still get up in the mornings even though I'm exhausted while my husband sleeps in. Etc. Etc. You need to be able to do what needs to be done even if you don't want to, don't feel like it, or are having a bad day. If you're not sure that you will be able to put your own problems aside and put the needs of the baby first, then having a baby is something you should think twice about.