34 weeks - already feeling lonely

[RMarieClaire]

As D day approaches (scarily quickly) I've started to feel quite lonely. Just wondered if that's normal, something everyone goes through?

I have just 8 days left at work and I'm both excited and sad about leaving, and nervous about what will happen in my absence.

I have friends with babies but they're all a bit older (1+) and the mums have largely returned to work. My other friends are no way near having babies, and they've been great but I worry our friendship will never be the same. They also live about an hour away from me, since we moved out of London.

My DH is amazing, but is of course not going through the same thing, and still has a good social life, where I just don't have the energy.

This is a bit moany - but hopefully just hormonal? I want this baby so much, but it feels like a journey I'm going through alone.

I remember those feelings about work so well! I couldn’t get my head around not being there for a year! But after a couple weeks, you start to come around to your new way of life. They carried on without me & I went back after 13 months. Now I’ve been back over a year and it’s like I never had that time off!

Re-loneliness, can you join an NCT class or local antenatal one? I’m similar in that only a couple friends have children and most aren’t close! But thank goodness for NCT. The classes were a bit mediocre but I made 4 fantastic friends. They were such a lifeline in the early days, we messaged each other all night long!

After the babies were born, we all went to a baby massage class together & there met another 8 mums who joined our crew.. life has got busier as we returned to work but various combinations of us meet up most weeks!

I know this can be hard if your shy or not overly sociable. I’m very shy when meeting new people. But I forced myself out my comfort zone as I knew I wanted to at least try make some new friends!

I hope it all goes really well for you, it’s life changing but you come to adjust & fine your stride!