I know what you mean. I have a four-year-old son and I found the infant stage to be the most dull. Although he was adorable, all he did was eat, sleep, pee and poop, basically
He didn't even smile until he was 3 months old.
I felt really awkward and uncomfortable around babies until I had my own baby. I guess I just had to learn more about what they like and how to communicate with them.
It is quite disconcerting to sit there and talk, talk, talk to a baby and all it does is stare at you. You have no idea if any of it's getting through! I was very glad when my son was able to talk to me - except now, I can't get him to shut up
I would like to have another child someday but I'm not in a real hurry to do so. Just because I think the sibling relationship is so special. I love my sis and we have such a special bond! But yeah, having kids is a very personal decision.
The "giving up your life thing" : I was more or less forced to do this when my son was born, because he was an EXTREMELY fussy baby and demanded constant attention. He would have stayed attached to my breast 24/7 if I let him. I had some post-partum depression because my whole life suddenly revolved around him and I never got to do anything for myself
But it was really unhealthy for me, and I'm happy to say today my life is pretty much the same as it was before except I have a cool little person to share my time with
He's a lot like me and we have fun together. Yes, sometimes I do lock myself in a separate room just to have some peace and quiet
but I try not to beat myself up about it. I'm not a perfect martyr of a mother but actually it's unhealthy to be a perfect martyr of a mother. Kids have to learn how to make it in life on their own so it makes sense to teach them some independence. That's my 2 cents