Screaming Babies In Crowded Movie Theaters

When I first got married I had a feeling that my girlfriends were keeping a little distance from me. It was kind of like they were giving me space because I was newly married. I was probably overreacting but I remember having a conversation about it and saying that I didn't want space and really wanted for everything to be as normal. Now this fear/feeling is starting to reemerge again as a mother-to-be. Over the weekend while I was in LA my brother, his girlfriend and I got into a conversation about new parents and how their relationships with their non-parent friends changed. At the beginning it is totally understandable and I completely expect to be so tired and out of my mind with confusion that I won't even notice that my social interactions become a text here or there. But once I figure out the 30 second diaper change I am hoping to be the 'strap the kid on and get moving' type.

Right now we (hubby and friends) mostly spend our time together in low key ways - movies, dinners, hanging out at home and occasional parties and drink at the bar. This time with my friends is great and actually very important to me. My friends are like my family. And while I obviously won't be the person with the infant in a crowded movie theater (I know better than to do that) I do feel like there will be no reason for me to completely stop spending time with the people I care about once I'm a mom. What I wonder is will they still think to spend time with me and what will that look like?

Here is an example of why these thoughts come up -  a couple of years ago I got into a little back and forth with a very close friend of mine because she didn't want to invite someone to a party that had recently had a baby. My girlfriend felt that the invite would be insulting since she thought it was obvious the new mom wouldn't be able to come. I told her the invite would be nice and would make the person feel like she was still thought of and will simply decline if she can't make it. (I was obviously still going through my 'You don't want to hang out with me because I'm married now' phase) We agreed to disagree but that has stuck with me ever since. 


I guess with all of the things I should be concerned about in this situation, whether my friends will still invite me to dinner should really not be one of them. I'm not completely delusional. I know that there are more important things like will the baby have 11 toes or turn out Republican. As a new mom I know my little one will always come first and hanging out will not always be possible. I will be busy spending time with the baby and enjoying being a parent. Little Dash's happiness and health will now be my number 1 priority. But I also know that my friends wouldn't be my friends if they didn't understand that and be supportive, which I know they will be. I guess I'm just saying that even through life's many changes (baby, marriage, new job, etc) I feel we should always try to maintain some normalcy with what has been important in our lives and adapt and prioritize accordingly. In my case that is being able to spend time with the people I care about and hoping they then become a part of my new life as a mommy. In other words, invite me to the party. I won't be insulted.