Half of parents left feeling lonely, broke and cut off after birth of baby

PARENTHOOD leaves half of mothers and fathers feeling lonely, research has found. A survey of 2,000 parents found that the majority feel cut off from friends, colleagues and family, after the birth of a child. Many complain that lack of money and the inability to leave the house when caring for small children leaves them feeling isolated.

Research from Action for Children and Mumsnet found that 52 per cent admitted to suffering loneliness, with one fifth saying they had felt lonely in the past week. The charities are working with the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness to launch a new campaign asking communities to offer more support to lonely parents.

Justine Roberts, Mumsnet founder and chief executive, said: “Having a baby changes your life in many ways, not all of them as joyful as you might expect. Parents who responded to our survey told us that being out of work or on maternity leave and being short of cash contribute to loneliness, and of course these things are part and parcel of new parenthood for most.”

Sustained loneliness can have a significant, sometimes lifelong, impact on mental and physical health. More than two thirds (68 per cent) of parents said they felt they had become “cut off ” from friends and family.

The new #startswithhello campaign encourages people to offer a “hello” coffee or playdate to new parents to stop them feeling so isolated.