I hate maternity leave and have given up on making friends.

[Willowygirl]

As the title says, my baby is 7 weeks old, we spent the first week in hospital after a traumatic birth trapped in a room with no visitors allowed and now I still feel trapped but in the house. I hate where we live, I don’t know anybody and didn’t get the chance to meet anyone locally before lockdown. My Nct was all online and there are still no baby groups running. I miss my home city which I can’t really go home too yet and I miss my friends. We do try and go out but I’m so fed up of walking round our housing estate and the woods plus we never see anyone and if we do you have to avoid them anyway.
I can’t see how this will get better and am really dreading the winter months. I honestly cannot wait to go back to work just so I’m not bored. I have tried meeting other mums, joined apps and local groups but any suggestion I make of meeting up is overlooked or ignored. Even the evening activities I would normally do are not running like a dance class. I know this sounds like a pity post and it is. I just absolutely cannot bear another day in the house with no future plans. Please tell me I’m not going to spend my maternity leave wishing I was at work and being envious of all the other mums who seem to have a friendship group. I have never had a problem making friends and I really miss my friends and family back home. It’s just not possible to move back home😟

I'm taking 9 months off again only because I did it with the first kid so I'll feel guilty if I don't with this one. 6.5 months left. I'll get threw it but I know I won't feel myself again until I get back to work

@Willowygirl

God I just found this searching on the internet! I could have wrote this myself! I totally get what you mean and I am 1000% feeling all you said! I hope you survived the winter as it was Aug when you first posted?? I had m baby 1 Aug 2019 so we were going in to winter then covid struck and a whole host of other shit along with it! My origonal small circle of friends and close family slowly disappeared 🤔 and suddenly I was alone! The fact my mum died 7 wks after didn't help I missed and needed her so much. I had this vision of people visiting because everyone loves to visit a baby but nope the exact opposite happened - stupid naive me but I was lucky I called on an old friend from school and she was having the exact same nightmare! It's known to be such an isolating time. I've come to realise I find it totally boring, mine is almost 2 now and I'm finding it easier but gosh I feel drained also as she was just an unsettled child and she never slept soundly which caused us a lot of problems! I live stafford way so not too hugely far from where you are more than happy to meet up somewhere half way with our babies and do a park meet up and moan 😂 if you ever fancy doing that?? Of course copious coffees and chocolate cake too!! Or half a shandy outside would be nice now the pubs are open! X x x I'd DM you but I don't know how to do it!