New moms that are currently working full time but plan to be SAHM....

Rolos_girl

I am pretty worried about the social isolation....

we have figured the fianances out, but we are about 2 hours from his parent s and 3 from my parents, and we do not have any other close family and friends in the area.

We have our co-workers, but I obviously will not be seeing them as much after the baby, and none of them are parents, so they will probably not want to hang out with me and a baby any way.....

so worried about not having little or any adult interaction... anyone else??!!

Lambie.

I am pondering SAH now.  I think I am going to force myself to go back to work for at least a little while to see how it goes.  I am very worried about the social isolation and that is why I am going to try and go back, even though I think staying at home is a good idea too.

justinlovesme

There are mommy and baby groups and classes all over!  My hospital offers classes for right after birth, and gymboree and kindermusik start shortly thereafter I think!  Lots of other mommies to meet!

MrsMommyQ

me! I'm not currently working and I'm kinda experiencing this now.

When the LO comes I plan to join a mommy and me class of some sort. I know the hospital I'm delivering at has new mommy classes. I definitely want to go and make some friends with babies near my LO's age.

You could also join a prenatal yoga class now so you make some PG friends. I was thinking of doing that too.

kasslynne

Is there any play groups you could sign up for to meet new people? That might be fun. I know it will be hard at first for me two but i think the days when you are at home will fly by with baby: )

Qmommy

justinlovesme:

There are mommy and baby groups and classes all over!  My hospital offers classes for right after birth, and gymboree and kindermusik start shortly thereafter I think!  Lots of other mommies to meet!

I have joined a few mommy groups (even though I'm expecting the end of May).  They have weekly gatherings that I'm excited to start going to.  I would go now but they're usually lunch or 2PM walks and such while I'm at work.

rlscheck

I want to be a FT SAHM, but will probably end up working part-time.  DH and I have been in Minneapolis for 3 years and I honestly don't really have friends here that I hang out with.  My coworkers are all older with grown children mostly, and where else do you meet people?  My plan is to find a moms group when the baby is here.

amanda31H

Thankfully for me, my best friend is a SAHM and lives 2 miles from me.  They will likely be moving soon, but it won't be far-- next town or two over at the most.  Even so, it doesn't mean I can see her all the time, especially with the twins.

I do think about the socialization part, as well as a million things that I'm sure are running through your head now too.  I make a pretty decent salary, so financially, it's not like this won't effect us!  But I just try to be thankful that even though we're making financial sacrifices to do it, I am still able to do it.  I know others that want to and can't.  In the end, I'm happy that I can stay with my girls and not have leave them with someone else for most of the week.  That's what I concentrate on.

Butterbean52

As a Mom who went through this before, I recommend you join a Mom's Club, a MOPS club or something like that. The isolation (and not to mention the ppd!) was awful and my Mom's Club really helped.

https://www.momsclub.org/

https://www.mops.org/

 

CD+AL

I worked before and during my pg with DS.  After he was born, I took my 12wks and then went back to work for another 6mos or so before becoming a SAHM.  We also moved out of state as I made the change, so that really complicated the isolation issue.  I didn't even have my old friends to fall back on.

I'm not going to lie...It's been a little tough to transition.  However, as I get older and go through more big life changes, I'm finding that my closest friends tend to evolve as my life phase evolves.  When I was married, I had more in common with my married friends, and once I had DS, I had more in common with friends that were parents.

After our move, most of my interactions with new friends have been related to DS and their kids.  We go to play groups, story time, music class, etc., and that's where I'm meeting people.  In all honesty, it's kind of a mixed blessing b/c if I had moved and SAH w/o DS I'm not sure how I would go about meeting people.  On the other hand, w/o DS I'd probably still be working and have that as a social outlet too. 

The other big thing that changed with DS is that I just have less time for socializing, so it's not as high on my priority list as it once was.  Before I had him, I'd probably be pretty lonely w/the number of social outings I have per week right now, but with him (plus another on the way), it seems about right.  This is coming from someone who is very social and needs lots of interaction with other people.

shanmoyer

Maybe look into some Mommy and Me classes? Most libraries offer them...

Maybe a Water Babies class at your local YMCA or community pool?

mrsnuss2b

I'm excited about the new challenge of being a SAHM, but my work life has always been a huge part of who I am, so I am very worried...right there with ya, sister.  I have been researching options for social stuff that includes working out since that is a love/hobby of mine and something I think will help me deal with any isolation/sadness I expect I may deal with...do you have a hobby/passion?  If so, try googling that hobby together with mom & baby and your location...I have found a number of resources this way.  Also, I've been making a very tentative list of possible babysitters (people at work have recs and I've been looking online at services as well), so that I can make sure that at some point I find some time for me and for DH & me...this is a bit premature, I know, but I want to make sure that I am not neglecting DH and/or myself.  DH and I live 500 miles from both of our families and we have very few friends where we live, so I think this will require more planning that if I had a ton of friends and family where we live, but if you put some time into it, I think you can be really successful in finding socializing options.

coryandsuzanne

I'm working now but plan on being a SAHM when LO arrives.  I'm really excited to stay home because I've always valued that since my mom did the same.  My parents, DH's parents, and my sister's family (including 3 little girls) will be very close  to us because we've decided to move.  We chose this specifically so we have family/friends around us when LO's born.

I have a friend who's a SAHM in Chicago and she doesn't really know anyone around her.  She struggles a lot with islolation.  She loves spending time with her baby but I know she needs to get out more.  It's definitely easier to get out in the warmer months, so take advantage of getting involved while you can when LO's born.