More than half of 2,000 new moms polled admitted they feel "lonely and isolated." Also: "Nine out of ten also lament the loss of the social life they enjoyed
before baby arrived and around two-thirds say they 'feel cut off from
normal life'." Is this news? Not that I mind drawing attention to it, since the first year of motherhood is a bitch-and-a-half in a number of ways, but yeah, lonely. This article points to the fact that nowadays we often live far from family and rarely know our neighbors, and I do think that's a big part of it. The idea that two bleary-eyed people whose lives have just changed dramatically should be raising a kid alone seems silly. And note that I'm avoiding using that phrase about it taking villages.
The poll also found that a third felt "tearful" and I'm guessing another third were so sleep-deprived they forgot they just sobbed the morning before. They also discovered the women spent only an average of 90 minutes a day in the company of people other than their spouses. That's actually pretty good. I just remember the supreme effort it took to actually leave the house, what with the giant diaper bag and the nap timing and the inevitable poop explosion as we walked out the door. And then once you make your engagement you're expected to be able to speak coherently and focus on conversations while your baby screams bloody murder. I think this is why moms groups are helpful to some--you need buddies in the trenches.
