Pregnant, newly married and feeling incredibly lonely. Has anyone else experienced this?

I’m 29 and currently pregnant. I think I just need somewhere to get everything off my chest and hear from other people who might understand.

My husband and I met about a year and a half ago, and the first year of our relationship was an absolute dream. He’s still a good man, and I love him, but so much has changed in such a short space of time.

About five months ago, I found out I was pregnant. It wasn’t planned, and honestly, I wasn’t even sure I wanted children. If I did, I always imagined having them at least five years from now.

Since then, we’ve decided to get married (partly influenced by pressure from his Muslim family, but also because I wanted to be married before having children), had the most amazing wedding and moved into our own home. I’ve also moved my entire life to another country to be with him.

It’s an enormous amount of change in such a short period of time.

I’ve gradually started noticing a shift in our relationship. My husband feels emotionally unavailable, and whenever I try to have a deeper conversation about how I’m feeling, he’s often tired or doesn’t seem interested in engaging. I don’t feel as connected to him as I used to.

Our sex life has also changed significantly. I can tell he doesn’t seem to feel the same level of attraction towards me since I’ve become pregnant. He’s said he finds it difficult to sexualise me now that I’m pregnant, and we’re having sex much less frequently. When he tells me I’m beautiful, sometimes it feels forced rather than genuine.

This has been particularly difficult because I’m already struggling with my changing body and have a history of body image issues.

On top of everything, I’ve moved away from my friends, family and everything familiar. I work remotely, so I don’t have many opportunities to meet people, and I feel incredibly isolated.

I love my husband, and I don’t want to paint him as a bad person. But I feel like we’ve gone from being a couple who were completely in love and enjoying life to suddenly being married, homeowners and expecting parents without really having time to adjust to any of it.

I’m scared that having a baby and going through so many changes so quickly has made our relationship flatline before we’ve even had the chance to properly build our life together.

I sometimes miss my old life, my independence and the person I was before all of this. Then I feel guilty because I love my baby.

Has anyone else experienced something similar? Did pregnancy change your relationship dynamic? Did you go through a period of feeling disconnected from your partner or less desired? Did things improve after having your baby?

I’d really appreciate hearing from women who’ve been through something similar. I think I just need to know I’m not alone.

Read more on Peanut

The views expressed in community are solely the opinions of participants, and do not reflect those of Peanut.

Learn more about our guidelines.
Add a comment
Avatar

Hey I hear you!
I have been with my husband 3 1/2 years now and we have had ups and downs, periods where I felt like we were strange roommates living together but we always managed to talk it out and grow stronger together after those periods of emotional disconnection. We are now parents to our beautiful baby girl who is going to be three weeks tomorrow.
During pregnancy our sex life practically didn’t exist at all wich I really struggled with as I felt lonely, ugly, fat, unattractive… and now he also stoped showing interest! We managed to talk about it and he explain that he just found it very strange knowing that the baby is inside of me and also he didn’t really like my Bump as he found it hard to connect with the baby as he couldn’t feel her and only saw how miserable and uncomfortable it made me.

The second out daughter was born he became the best dad you could ask for. He is very attentive, loves her to bids and looks after me so well!

Avatar

Naturally dynamics will change, but things will get better as long as there is open communication.
He obviously feels it too, but might not know how to broach the topic.

Maybe let him know that you would like to have a heart to heart, and give him time to prepare and get all his thoughts down (maybe on paper).
Then you both sit and hash it out.

Also be open to marriage counselling and getting the help of a professional. It could be a religious counsellor or a secular one. Your situation is quite similar to mine in the sense that we went from a fun couple in love and making world travel plans, to an unexpected pregnancy, engagement, living together etc due to religious expectations.

It has taken a massive toll on us as individuals, but I reassure myself with the fact that we are on the same team.

Avatar

Hey, im 34yrs old and been with my partner for 17years.. we have always been in a loving relationship, tons of laughing, affection and when we finally got pregnant, it magnified all of that, I was someone making his little person. When our baby was born 2month ago, the dynamic of our relationship changed Like he works ALOT (opened up a company when I was 8 month pregnant) . Its almost impossible to have our own time when you have a little one strapped to you 24/7. I felt quite alone and we were honest with eachother about our feelings and he had told me at the moment he doesn't have the emotional bandwidth right now as his company and certain projects have take off.. and that's fine as
Now I know its not me being the reason he is withdrawn.. but ive found new ways to cope and ill be honest, a lot of it is friends and family.. its a whole different world once the baby comes and you need support.. perhaps you should move back for a few months when baby comes?it takes a village to raise a child as they say..

Read more on Peanut

Trending

in our community

Parent and child car park spaces

Does anyone else get SO frustrated when someone without a child parks there?
Me and my mum went to Tesco yesterday with my 4 month old daughter, and every single space was took, but with so many other normal spaces available. I could see people going back to their car just on their own without a child and it got me so annoyed! One guy was putting his shopping away and I opened my window and said to him “these are only parent and child spaces you know, where’s your child???” He said “his family are still in Tesco” I said yeah sure they are 😂🙄 and he just sat there until I went into the shop, on his own! There should be a petition to make this like how the disabled spaces are!

Avatar

3

Husband and his phone

Anyone else’s partner just glued to their phones?? For context I WFH part-time and I have a lot more downtime during the workday than my husband does, who has a demanding, full-time job. As soon as he gets home, he is sat on the couch scrolling with the TV on. He’s looking at it during mealtimes. He’s looking at it while he’s putting our toddler down. He’s looking at it when we spend time together in the evening, meaning we sit on opposite ends of the couch while he scrolls. He can’t even sit through something we’re watching together without constantly checking his phone.

Our daughter notices. She tells us to put our phones away. His use especially bothers me during mealtimes when she’s trying to engage both of us in conversation and he seems to think “oh Mom is talking to her so I can zone out” 🫠 seriously, it’s like if I’m in the room and acknowledging our daughter’s existence he takes it as a free pass to scroll. The other day I was overwhelmed trying to make dinner while our daughter was constantly needing something from me. My husband took this as me being passive aggressive and trying to make him feel guilty for having a sit down. He was saying how he hadn’t had a chance all day to just sit down and relax, whereas I’ve been with our daughter for half the day before and after finishing work, so we both would like a break and I do get a bit irritated when I’m in the middle of something and he doesn’t seem to notice or even realise that she needs something when I’m busy.

I’ve raised this with him but he just gets really defensive and it doesn’t go anywhere. He’s always quick to call me out if I’m doing something that bothers him and I try to take it onboard but he never seems to see what he’s doing. It’s adding to existing resentment and makes me feel less interested in intimacy. I want to be alone more often than not and I don’t understand how he thinks he can just be intimate out of nowhere when he’s hardly paid any attention to his family in a meaningful, non-distracted way.

Anyone else had luck raising this with their partner?

Avatar

4

Exhausted SAHM

My partner just doesn’t get it. I’m with our baby all day from middle of the night feedings to all throughout the day, I look forward to him coming home so I can get some help or a break! But he’ll have our son for little bits at a time, until he hands him over to me. Saying “I think he wants his mommy” and I don’t say anything bc I feel guilty for wanting my body to myself, my alone time or just lay on the couch without my baby on me or crying for me. He’s 2 months old so we’re at the crying for everything stage, only can be put to bed by me and I’m so grateful but I’m soooo tired!!! And my partner just doesn’t know how to read the room. Ik I need to communicate this to him but at the same time I just don’t want to ask, I just want him to do things without me asking or getting to a breaking point.

Avatar

2

4

He’s been sending himself pictures of naked females on Twitter … what’s my next step

So I just went thru my bfs phone and saw that he’s been sending himself naked females on twitter for the past few weeks. He did it yesterday morning, right before he asked me to give him head. I did it bc I thought he loved me and I love him. But I wanna leave him. Hes been emotionally abusing me. He’s never actually cheated before this but he made both my pregnancies he’ll, he doesn’t show me appreciation or care or support. I’m just exhausted. I can’t even cry because my nervous system has been in overdrive for over a year. Idk what to do idk how to feel. I want to leave him so bad but financially it’s very hard. I got laid off in February and haven’t gotten another position since then. I feel hurt. I just physically can’t show it. I wish I had a job so I can leave now 🙁😣😞

Avatar

1

3

Help my 13 month old hates nursery!

Did anyone else’s little one hate nursery at first? I feel awful dropping her off and leaving her somewhere she’s unhappy. It was only her first week last week, and she went for two days. So far she isn’t wanting to eat much, drink much or nap much there and she cries when I leave her. Everyone keeps telling me it will get better, but I’m really not enjoying leaving my baby somewhere she’s upset 😢

Avatar

1

6

Pregnant, newly married and feeling incredibly lonely. Has anyone else experienced this?

I’m 29 and currently pregnant. I think I just need somewhere to get everything off my chest and hear from other people who might understand.

My husband and I met about a year and a half ago, and the first year of our relationship was an absolute dream. He’s still a good man, and I love him, but so much has changed in such a short space of time.

About five months ago, I found out I was pregnant. It wasn’t planned, and honestly, I wasn’t even sure I wanted children. If I did, I always imagined having them at least five years from now.

Since then, we’ve decided to get married (partly influenced by pressure from his Muslim family, but also because I wanted to be married before having children), had the most amazing wedding and moved into our own home. I’ve also moved my entire life to another country to be with him.

It’s an enormous amount of change in such a short period of time.

I’ve gradually started noticing a shift in our relationship. My husband feels emotionally unavailable, and whenever I try to have a deeper conversation about how I’m feeling, he’s often tired or doesn’t seem interested in engaging. I don’t feel as connected to him as I used to.

Our sex life has also changed significantly. I can tell he doesn’t seem to feel the same level of attraction towards me since I’ve become pregnant. He’s said he finds it difficult to sexualise me now that I’m pregnant, and we’re having sex much less frequently. When he tells me I’m beautiful, sometimes it feels forced rather than genuine.

This has been particularly difficult because I’m already struggling with my changing body and have a history of body image issues.

On top of everything, I’ve moved away from my friends, family and everything familiar. I work remotely, so I don’t have many opportunities to meet people, and I feel incredibly isolated.

I love my husband, and I don’t want to paint him as a bad person. But I feel like we’ve gone from being a couple who were completely in love and enjoying life to suddenly being married, homeowners and expecting parents without really having time to adjust to any of it.

I’m scared that having a baby and going through so many changes so quickly has made our relationship flatline before we’ve even had the chance to properly build our life together.

I sometimes miss my old life, my independence and the person I was before all of this. Then I feel guilty because I love my baby.

Has anyone else experienced something similar? Did pregnancy change your relationship dynamic? Did you go through a period of feeling disconnected from your partner or less desired? Did things improve after having your baby?

I’d really appreciate hearing from women who’ve been through something similar. I think I just need to know I’m not alone.

Avatar

1

4

Read more on Peanut