Many women feel lonely after giving birth. Experts refer to this as postpartum loneliness, which, according to research, affects up to 90% of new moms.
Some of them may express their sadness on social media, as this woman did. In her TikTok post from a few months back, she made an indirect jab at her female friends by sharing a video of herself walking alone in a park while pushing a stroller.
Her post divided the comments section. While some sympathized with her, others weren’t very kind.
Many women feel lonely after giving birth
Image credits: Natalia Blauth / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
This woman expressed her sadness on social media while throwing a slight jab at her female friends
Image credits: miri_x97
Here's her video that sparked quite a discussion in the comments
It’s common for new moms to experience estrangement from friends
Many women experience losing touch or even completely cutting ties with longtime friends after giving birth. A survey of more than 2,000 mothers revealed that 54% of women felt “friendless” upon entering the parenting phase of their lives.
Moreover, many of these women choose to be silent about their suffering, with 38% of them refusing to tell their partners.
Another study revealed that postpartum loneliness among women may happen due to self-isolation, along with the stigma and fear of being a bad mother.
According to health psychology professor Julie Barnett, the loneliness that new moms feel often stems from the fewer opportunities for social interactions.
“If women are coming from full-time work that suddenly is not there anymore … other people are still going to work, but you’re at home with the baby. That sometimes led to a perception that the friends had gone,” Barnett told The Atlantic.
Communications professor William Rawlins shared a similar insight, noting that the sudden influx of obligations brought on by parenting “leaves very little time and freedom for friendship.”
“With friends who don’t have children, it can be a bit of a litmus test. Are they able to accept and understand that, in some ways, a child changes the center of gravity of our entire lives?” Rawlins said.
Postpartum loneliness may not have an easy fix, but according to River Root Counseling, reaching out is still one of the most effective ways to address it. It may not be with friends, but online groups for new parents, for example, can help provide that support.
The woman responded to a handful of comments to clarify some details
Some women who claimed to be the "friend that disappeared" responded
Other commenters were simply abrasive and sarcastic
But there were those who showed sympathy for the woman
