Having a baby HELPS your social life: Women make an average of NINE new friends after they give birth

A woman's friendship group goes from 13 to 22 after having a child

Half said it is easier to bond with other women once you became a mother

16 per cent said they had a better social life after having children

Women meet in mother and toddler groups or antenatal classes

Say closeness is due to having so much in common and shared experience

 

Having a baby can actually widen an increase a woman's circle of friends.

While many women report feeling isolated and lonely when their child is very young, new research has shown that they make on average of nine new friends upon the birth of their baby.

The survey showed that while childless women have an average of 13 friends, the number swells to 22 in the year after following the arrival of a child. 

The survey found that 53 per cent of new mums felt it was surprisingly easy to make friends after having a baby, and that women's friendship circle swelled by an average of 9

In fact it seems that giving birth is seem by some as enhancing to your social life with more than half of the 2,000 mothers polled said it was easier to bond with other women once you became a mother.

It found that 53 per cent of new mothers felt it was surprisingly easy to make friends after having a baby, and 70 per cent of those said it was because they had so much ‘in common’.

The study also found 16 per cent of those who took part in the poll said they had a better social life after having children as they had so much more free time to meet up with people.

 

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Part of this increase in friendship is due to increased interaction with other mothers with nearly half of new mums made friends with other women at a mother and toddler group, while 22 per cent struck up friendships in antenatal classes and a fifth met people through other friends.

Many reported it was easier to bond with other women after having given birth

Perhaps surprisingly, the friendships formed in this time are not superficial or purely for convenience with strong bonds forming over exchanges of views, tips and shared experiences.

Sharing the experience of birth is by far the most popular topic of conversation for new mums – 73 per cent would happily regale new friends with stories about their labour.

Four in ten said they felt more comfortable sharing intimate and personal information with their mum chums who they had only recently met.

Almost four out of ten said they have discussed their post baby sex life with relatively new buddies.

And nearly 80 per cent have poured their heart out about their concerns of being good mum and the guilt over whether to go back to work after being on maternity leave.

One in five have also discussed the baby blues with their fellow mother friends, while other topics for discussion were breast feeding, sleepless nights, nappies and baby ailments.

One in three said they were worried about boring their old friends with constant baby talk – part of the reason why new friendships are formed with other women who are going through the same experience.

A spokeswoman for Natures Purest, the company that commissioned the study, said: 'There is a misconception in society that starting a family will mean you are stuck indoors but it’s simply not true.

'Our research shows the opposite – becoming a mum can do wonders for your social life as there are so many groups and activities to become involved with.

Nearly half of new mums made friends with other women at a mother and toddler group

'Having a baby is a life-changing experience, especially if you are a first time mum, so it’s important to have friends in a similar position.

'You need people who can understand what you’re going through and can offer both emotional and practical support – whether you want a shoulder to cry on, a friend to offload on, or just reassurance that you are doing things right.

'Many women whose friendships evolved when their children were young go on to keep the same group of friends throughout their life and as a consequence the youngsters form strong bonds too.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2310435/Having-baby-HELPS-social-life-Women-make-average-9-new-friends-birth.html#ixzz2Ql6bdmOT 
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