As I’ve talked about before, the hardest part for me of becoming a new mom was the sense of loneliness that overcame me shortly after having Maddie Grace, once my husband went back to work. I love that my husband’s job is able to provide enough that I am able to stay at home with my sweet girl. I know that it is a blessing that other’s would love to have, and I truly am having the best time of my life. But there are days where it would be nice to have other adults to socialize with, and loneliness is something I particularly struggled with in the first few months of motherhood. As soon as I opened up about this I heard from so many readers about their struggle with the same problem. Here are a few tips on how I was able to survive the new mom loneliness. Of course there are still days where I do feel lonely, but for the most part I’m now completely content and have found ways to have the social interaction I need in my life while being able to focus on my daughter.
1. Mama Workout Classes
I’m not sure about where you live, but there are so many awesome mama workout classes in Atlanta. There are mom and me yoga classes at local studios, and I’ve seen several mamas in the area who lead local mama and me stroller workout classes. On top of that there are several national franchises here who offer great classes and who might have one near you worth checking out. Some of these are Baby Boot Camp, Oh Baby! Fitness, and Fit 4 Mom. A simple google search of mom stroller classes, mom and baby classes, etc., should bring up some good mama workout classes in your area. Not only are these a great way to socialize, meet other mamas, and get out of the house, it’s hard to motivate yourself to workout as a new mom so this should help get you healthy too – a win/win situation.
2. Lunch Dates
Chances are you either have fellow mama friends, friends with flexible work schedules, or of course friends with hour long lunch breaks who would love to see you and your baby. Make it a goal to at least once a week have lunch with one of these friends. It will help you get out of the house, not be lonely, and keep your friendships strong.
3. Baby Library Classes
This is another way to make mom friends and best of all it’s free! Most libraries offer classes specifically for babies, that involve playing with the other babies, reading books, and singing songs. We have so much fun going to these and all the other moms at them are nice and friendly and great to talk to. It’s a way to meet moms in your area and hopefully set up your babe for some future playdates!
4. Mom Groups
I was surprised to learn how many mom groups there are! I’m doing one called MOPS this year that I know has groups that meet all across the country, and so far I love it! Every other week we meet for 2 hours and socialize, have breakfast, and have a speaker. There are playgroups within MOPS that meet once a week as well. There are other groups similar to MOPS across the country and there are mommy meet ups on meetup.com.
There is no reason to sit around at home being lonely. Sometimes it’s hard to put yourself out there and go alone with your baby to a new situation – but the payoff is so good in this case it’s totally worth it!
Have any other ideas on how to fight new mom loneliness? Let me know in the comments below!
Hi Claire! I just discovered your blog today and I love it! I have a 2 and a half year old daughter and I know what you mean about feeling a bit lonely. I wish we have such exercise groups and mommy meetup groups here in Malaysia. By the way, Maddie Grace is adorable!
Thank you!!! I wish you did too – and maybe there are some you haven't discovered yet!
Just clicked on this from linkwithin. Love this! I was so lonely when I first had Ellia- I wish I would have done a little more research to get out more. Every time I go out of my way to talk to a new mom at the library or make a new friend at church- I find out that EVERY mom is lonely when they have their first. These are great tips!
Aw glad you enjoyed! It's so hard and yes everyone I've talked to has said they had similar feelings!