I never considered myself very maternal so I was surprised by the flood of emotions that accompanied the birth of our daughter Elsa. We had waited until the very last moment to start a family and suddenly I understood what people have been saying for generations: It is different when you have your own child. Never have I been so willing to do anything for the comfort and happiness of one little person and never have I felt so rewarded by the tiniest of gestures, a touch, a smile, even a burp.

Perhaps I'm still in the ``honeymoon'' phase if there is such a thing. Elsa is only six months old and while I miss the constant intellectual stimulation of researching and writing articles and the contact with different types of people, I'm not about to jump back into full-time freelancing. I've been writing and editing for well over a decade. I've only been a mother for half a year.

In many ways, motherhood is a welcome change. I appreciate this time because I've worked so hard in the past. I've travelled widely and lived in different countries. I don't feel -- as perhaps some mothers may -- that I'm missing out on anything. I'm fortunate that I don't have to juggle hunting for leads and filing stories with the first stages of my daughter's life. There is no maternity leave for a freelancer, no guarantees at all. I can only count on the years of credibility I've accrued.

Other journalists have told me that the birth of their first child changed the way they saw the world and hence the way they wrote about it or the subjects that interested them. I can see that I can bring a new perspective with more depth and a broader objectivity to my writing. This humbling experience can only make me a better journalist.

Also read: Of changing nappies and chasing deadlines: foreigncorrespondents.org/Trips/Trip09.html