What contributes to feeling alone in pregnancy?

Loneliness is a normal human emotion. Even when you’re not pregnant, there are all kinds of reasons to feel lonely.

When you’re pregnant, there are even more reasons. Your body, your mind, and your life are all changing in countless ways. Many of these changes can contribute to feeling alone. Some people may even begin to feel isolated as their routines and relationships change.

While everyone’s experience with pregnancy and parenthood is different, these are the most common causes of loneliness:

• Emotional challenges – Pregnancy comes with a wide range of emotions. Some days, you may feel overjoyed and excited. Other days, there may be anxiety, stress, and confusion. Oftentimes, your mood will swing between multiple emotions, seemingly at random. This natural back-and-forth can make it seem like no one else understands what you’re going through, which can lead to feelings of isolation.

• Hormonal changes – These mood swings—along with many other parts of pregnancy—are often the result of hormone changes. When you’re pregnant, your body produces different hormones in different amounts. Each hormone sends signals throughout your body that can impact how you manage emotions and stress. Some of these signals can contribute to the loneliness you may feel. Hormonal fluctuations and physical changes can influence mood, energy levels, and comfort. These shifts sometimes make it harder to stay socially engaged or emotionally balanced throughout each trimester.

• Lifestyle adjustments – Pregnancy also leads to lifestyle changes. With more appointments and limits on what you can eat or drink, you may find yourself socializing less. Naturally, your priorities may be shifting as you focus more on the baby developing inside of you. Although these instincts are beneficial to your baby, they can cause you to feel alone.

• Physical isolation – The mental and physical challenges of pregnancy can be exhausting, especially as you progress through your journey. If you’re feeling tired or sick, you might be less likely to go out or accept visitors. Often, that means spending more time at home. Once again, this isolation can lead to loneliness.

Recognizing the signs of loneliness

In some cases, the sense of loneliness may be obvious. You might find yourself wishing you had someone else to talk to, or feeling jealous of your friends posting pictures from a night out.

Sometimes, however, loneliness isn’t so easy to spot. With that in mind, it’s important to understand the signs of feeling alone. These include:

• Increased sadness or anxiety – Anxiety is a natural emotion during pregnancy. If you’ve never had a baby, it’s normal to wonder about your future. But if your feelings of sadness and anxiety appear out of nowhere, increase, or won’t go away, your body may be responding to feelings of loneliness. In some cases, these feelings can overlap with postpartum depression later in the journey if not addressed early.

• Withdrawal from social interactions – When you’re lonely, you may reject invitations or cancel plans—even if you know it would be healthy to socialize. This behavior can be related to increased anxiety and stress, or it may simply feel easier to stay in than go out. Either way, withdrawing from social interactions is a common sign of loneliness.

• Feeling disconnected from the pregnancy experience – For some people, loneliness shows up as feeling entirely alone. You may not feel connected to yourself, your growing baby, or the pregnancy milestones you’re experiencing.

If any of these signs seem familiar, you may be one of the many expecting parents who experience loneliness.

Fortunately, there are ways to address these feelings throughout your pregnancy.

Strategies to overcome feeling alone while pregnant

Every parent’s experience with pregnancy is different. Strategies that work for someone else may not work for you.

That said, if you’re feeling alone, you can’t just wait for the feeling to go away. The most helpful thing you can do is to try tackling your loneliness head-on.

Here are some helpful strategies to experiment with.

Connect with others

Since loneliness usually stems from being alone, connecting with other people can be an effective remedy.

If you have friends, family, or colleagues nearby, consider reaching out to them. Loved ones in your immediate network may be the fastest and easiest to connect with. Something as simple as a quick chat over a cup of tea or a morning walk can be enough to keep loneliness at bay.

However, we know that not everyone has family members or friends available. Luckily, there are other options for forming connections. You may be able to:

• Join a local support group – Your community might already have meetings for expecting parents. Check your local library, rec center, church, or parenting non-profits to find opportunities for connection. If there’s nothing around, you could always try starting your own group.

• Participate in an online community – Thanks to the internet, there’s no shortage of long-distance support groups available. Look for forums or social media pages that focus on the realities of pregnancy, where you can also exchange advice for new moms and dads to hear from others going through similar experiences.

Even if you have family and friends around, it’s worth connecting with people in similar situations. Other expecting parents know exactly what you’re feeling, so they can share specific guidance and offer genuine sympathy. Plus, you’ll always have something to talk about.

Schedule regular check-ins

Connecting with someone just once or twice probably won’t be enough, especially if your loneliness continues. To maintain your connections, consider setting up regular visits or phone calls with friends, family, and other parents.

Creating a consistent check-in schedule is crucial because pregnancy can be a very busy time. If you don’t make advance plans to see people, you may struggle to find time to see anyone.

Remember that check-ins can be as long or as short as you want. Even a short conversation can reignite your spark and help you feel less lonely.

Try these ideas for maintaining connections with your network:

• Schedule a weekly phone call or video call
• Plan a monthly game night
• Go grocery shopping together
• Have people over for Sunday dinner
• Bring someone to your pregnancy check-ups

Engage in self-care practices

Not all loneliness remedies have to involve other people. You may be able to address some negative emotions with self-care.

Self-care practices are about building a better connection with yourself. When you take time to listen to your body and meet its needs, you show yourself kindness and grace. That in itself can help with loneliness.

So, in between virtual visits and brunch dates, try to de-stress by caring for your body and mind. Many expectant parents turn to self-care practices like:

• Exercising (with pregnancy-safe options, like prenatal yoga or walking)
• Journaling to process your thoughts and feelings
• Cooking a delicious, healthy meal
• Singing, dancing, or other creative expression
• Practicing mindfulness or breathing exercises

Seeking professional support

Mild loneliness can often be addressed through socializing and self-care. But intense or prolonged feelings of loneliness may require professional support.

Consider reaching out to a healthcare provider or mental health professional if you feel alone, isolated, or sad for several days in a row. A professional can help you identify the root cause of your feelings and develop a plan to address them.

To find a mental health specialist in your area, you can:

• Ask your primary healthcare provider for a referral
• Search online for counselors who specialize in prenatal mental health care
• Contact your local parenthood organization
• See if other parents have recommendations

If travel, time, or cost are barriers, you can also find mental health resources online. Virtual counseling services allow you to talk, text, or email with professionals at your own pace.

Embracing support and connection

Your feelings of loneliness may be normal, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept them. With support from your community and strategies for self-care, you can overcome the challenges of feeling alone in pregnancy.

Remember, even though you may feel alone, you’re not. Millions of parents have gone through the same experiences of pregnancy and childbirth. Your pregnancy journey is unique to you, but that doesn’t mean others can’t relate. Reach out for help when you need it. That’s what your support network is there for.

Many people look for support during pregnancy as they adjust to emotional and lifestyle changes. If you’re unsure where to begin, exploring resources like pregnancy tips for first-time moms and dads can be a helpful starting point.

You may also find value in learning more about how to prepare for pregnancy, from emotional readiness to practical planning.

Finally, keep in mind that you’re never truly alone when you’re pregnant. Inside of you is a baby who is growing, changing, and waiting to meet you.

And while you’ll have to wait until after delivery to meet them, you can learn your baby’s sex long before birth.

With the SneakPeek® Early Gender Test, you can discover your future child’s predicted sex as early as 6 weeks into pregnancy. This at-home test is clinically proven with over 99% accuracy, and has helped more than a million families bond with their babies sooner.

Knowing your baby’s sex may not completely eliminate your loneliness, but it can help you feel more connected with your child, and that’s a fantastic feeling.