This isolation and loneliness that many women tend to experience are so often disregarded, along with all the physical transformations that should be brought up.
Although the process can be a happy one, several women face seclusion, despite the abundance of words and guidance from their friends and family, and from the well-wishing doctors and nurses who provide their services in a clinical, professional, and caring manner.
Women who are pregnant are not attempting to be ungrateful and are not being dramatic.
Psychologically, being alone and isolating oneself during the process of pregnancy may have grave, and even long-term, effects and implications.
But most mothers, unfortunately, go through it, and inevitably, the psychological effects can and will be passed down to the baby.
Why Pregnancy Can Feel So Isolating
Pregnancy changes everything, including how the woman interacts physically.
Essentially, the women need to alter how they physically interact with and relate to their friends and family, or, in some cases, even the community.
Unfortunate as it is, many women will not have a social life during their pregnancy, as they will find it very difficult to maintain social interactions with their friends and family, as well as work.
The frustration and emotional interactions can be severe, especially as many women will have a diminished social life due to their inability to work.
Consider medical appointments. It’s an assembly line – you get monitored, measured, and sent on your way.
There really isn’t room to talk about the emotional intricacies.
There is grief for the old life, fear for the unknown, and so many other mixed feelings that don’t fit the “glowing mother” stereotype.
This type of emotional experience creates a particular loneliness for women that is unique.
The Psychological Toll of Perinatal Loneliness
Mental Health Risks
This area of research is clear. The social isolation that comes during pregnancy increases the likelihood of developing several serious conditions.
- Antenatal depression is loneliness during pregnancy.
- Chronic stress leads to cortisol dysregulation, which negatively affects the mother’s mental health and the developing fetus.
- The likelihood of developing postpartum depression increases significantly when social isolation occurs during pregnancy.
- Generalized anxiety and panic disorders are anxiety disorders that are comorbid with social isolation and lack of support during pregnancy.
These are serious issues. Perinatal mood disorders influence decision making, commitment to prenatal care, and the mother-child relationship.
Cognitive Patterns That Worsen The Feeling of Isolation
Psychological issues that are related to isolation and loneliness in pregnancy are:
- Wondering what it is like to be a bad parent.
- Imagining what seems like excessive fear of the laboring process and of what it entails to care for a baby.
- Pulling away from relationships to avoid being misunderstood.
- Thinking in extremes where one is either a “bad” or “good” mother.
For many pregnant women, distorted perceptions of reality cause them to get trapped in a situation – the greater the isolation, the greater the risk of becoming trapped in isolation.
What Triggers A Withdrawn State In Pregnant Women
Loss of Identity
Pregnancy involves mourning aspects of your former self.
In particular, the loss of portions of your previous self, coupled with the initiation of an unknown, new identity as a mother.
When this loss occurs, your former self, in a manner of speaking, develops what psychologists call “ambiguous loss.”
You are grieving a loss that others do not consider a loss.
The loss of your body as it was before you got pregnant, the loss of the ability to be spontaneous, the loss of the relationship that you had with your partner, your career, and the ability to set goals and achieve them.
All of these could be described as multifaceted loss.
Society tells you that you must accept the loss of these things and be happy about it. When you are not, it is shaming, and it is there to ensure your silence.
The Performance of Pregnancy
Pregnancy content on social media portrays an idealized pregnancy that most women’s lived experiences do not resemble. It adds to this impossible standard.
Anxiety, ambivalence, and physical discomfort during pregnancy do not make for engaging content.
Isolation stems from having to endure these feelings and experiences in contrast to social media portrayals, leaving feelings of loneliness.
The emotional weight of this silence deepens when you stop sharing and posting.
Partner Disconnection
Even the most supportive partners can inadvertently make you feel alone.
They can’t feel the pregnancy themselves, and no amount of emotional support can fill the gap that can be really large when you’re dealing with difficult feelings and physical challenges.
This is not an issue of blame. It is the painful reality of the specific and profound loneliness pregnancy can produce, even in the most loving and supportive relationships.
Breaking Free from Isolation
Creating Meaningful Connection
Establishing connections throughout your pregnancy can be challenging:
- Attend support groups for pregnant women to receive recognition for your unique experiences and concerns.
- Look for women’s peer supportive groups (at a similar stage) through the community or in the therapeutic group.
- Consider individual therapy that focuses on perinatal mental health, as outcomes for Interpersonal Psychotherapy and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy have proven to be effective.
- Assist your partner in understanding your experiences by engaging them in psycho-educational courses about perinatal psychology.
The focal point of your connections should be to form relationships where you feel understood.
Learning to Articulate Your Needs
Many women experience difficulties during pregnancy and have practiced the art of asserting their needs.
When these needs are not prioritized, an emotional response (in the form of a request) manifests as a demand for ‘support’ or ‘assistance’, creating a significant barrier for the surrounding individuals.
Rather than stating, ‘I need you to understand,’ be direct: ‘I need you to listen to my labor fears without further reassurance that it’s all going to be okay.
Or rather than saying, ‘I feel alone’, be direct: ‘I need regular check-ins where we talk about how my mental health is, rather than just about the pregnancy’.
The feeling of discomfort that comes from stating your needs is normal, so don’t be deterred.
Understanding When You Need Professional Support
The following are some of the problems that must be addressed by a professional immediately:
- Sadness that persists for more than two weeks
- Daily functioning is impaired by crippling anxiety
- You are unable to see a positive relationship with your child
- Thoughts of self-harm
Some therapeutic techniques are cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy.
In some cases, medication can be combined with therapy.
Reproductive psychiatrists are experts in determining the risks and benefits of medication during pregnancy.
Your Feelings Are Important
Being lonely in pregnancy might leave a serious hole in your psyche that is to be addressed as a serious issue and not a temporary state of mind.
The emotional shifts during pregnancy are very hard, and the isolation may enhance the challenges.
The health of your baby is as valuable as the emotional health during pregnancy.
You are more than just a bearer of a child. This is one of the significant changes in your life that should be valued.
Mental Health Counselor PLLC offers perinatal mental health services.
Our therapists are well-versed in the mental health difficulties that may occur during pregnancy. We provide special care, which includes virtual therapy.
We may assist you when you are experiencing the emotional stress of becoming a mother, experiencing depression or anxiety or feeling lonely.
Mental health counseling is a service you need, and you can obtain it without having to give a full narrative.
We can assist you in reducing feelings of loneliness. Call us to arrange a first consultation.
FAQs
Is it possible to be lonely even having a supportive partner during pregnancy?
During pregnancy, loneliness is not something unusual, irrespective of whether one is in a relationship or not.
It is necessary to state that being lonely is not a consequence of a problem in relationship, but a natural response.
What are the effects of being lonely in pregnancy on a fetus?
Untreated mist when pregnant can also lead to developmental changes in your baby, technically. Why is this? The reason is that such emotions boost cortisol, which is not favorable to the growth of babies.
At what time do you best talk to a therapist instead of friends?
- When your anxiety and depression persist past two weeks
- You are feeling emotionally challenged to the point that you cannot take care of yourself in a proper way
- Your emotional health is such that you cannot do your day-to-day tasks
Although your friends can come to your rescue, you might have to get clinical assistance.