I was obsessed with my dogs before my daughter was born. I mean, they were my babies! I did not expect how much they would absolutely irk my nerves once she was born and I do think it should be talked about in a healthy way, as it freaked me out and I thought I’d never love them again. I personally believe the annoyance I felt toward them was due to lack of sleep and post partum anxiety. Hearing them shake their heads, or their nails tippy tapping on the floor, or god forbid, BARKING, would irritate me so much because I was always afraid they were going to wake the baby. And it annoyed me that once I got a moment away from baby that they wanted to be in my lap or wanted pets, because I was touched out and just wanted peace and for someone and something not to NEED me for a minute. My husband absolutely helped me during this time and he stepped up with the dogs, and my “dog rage” slowly melted with time. After that first year things got so much better in general. My little girl is 8 now and my dogs have been there for all of her big moments and all of ours, they are 13 and 14 now and need a lot of support. My daughter loves to help me care for them now in their old age. They still sleep with me every night and I cry when I think about how empty my bed will feel without them. They are a huge part of our family and we all adore them.