Finding Your People After a Baby

Mamahood Meet Up

Author : Alana Cullen

It’s often in the quiet moments — usually in the middle of the night — that the loneliness can feel the loudest.

When the baby is finally asleep.
When the house is still.
When you’re scrolling, not really looking for answers… just something that makes you feel less alone. A distraction, maybe.

No one really tells you how much friendship can change after having a baby. Not just drift — but change shape entirely. And when friendships have always felt a little complicated anyway, that shift can feel even heavier.

I’m neurodivergent, and connection has never been simple for me. I feel deeply. I notice everything. Social spaces can be overwhelming, and small talk can feel like hard work — especially when I’m already exhausted.

Adding a baby into that mix didn’t magically make things easier.
If anything, it made the cracks more visible.

When friends don’t quite understand the change

One of the hardest parts is that sometimes those closest— especially friends who don’t have babies — often don’t see how much you’ve changed.

Not because they don’t care.
But because unless you’ve lived it, it’s hard to understand how completely parenthood reshapes you.

Your time feels different.
Your energy feels different.
Your priorities, your body, your nervous system — everything shifts.

And sometimes it feels like you’re trying to describe someone you don’t quite recognise anymore, while quietly missing how things once felt.

Wanting connection… but needing safety

After having a baby, there’s this idea that you should “find your village”.

But what if you don’t quite fit into the usual spaces?
What if you’re already masking, already overstimulated, already doing your best just to get through the day?

I remember walking into groups and quietly asking myself:
Do I belong here? Are these my kind of people? Is this how overstimulating baby classes are?

What I was really searching for wasn’t more people.
It was a place where I could just be me, whatever that looks like.

Somewhere both me and my baby got something from the class.
Somewhere I felt seen.
Somewhere I didn't have to put on a mask and always be smiling and have it together.

Why The Mighty Mamahood exists

Mamahood Meet Up

The Mighty Mamahood grew from that need.

I wanted a space that felt gentle.
A space where difference wasn’t questioned.
A space where parents didn’t have to explain themselves, and children didn’t have to behave a certain way to be welcome.

Not a place to fix anyone.
Just a place to belong.

If this feels familiar

If friendships feel harder right now, you’re not failing.
If you feel like you don’t quite fit, there’s nothing wrong with you.
If you’re still searching for your people, that makes sense.

Sometimes it’s not about trying harder.
Sometimes it’s about finding spaces that were made with you in mind.

If you’re reading this at 2am, scrolling and feeling a little alone — I see you
You’re not the only one.