I feel lonely.

Supported, not alone.

When I first became a mom, the immense feeling of loneliness was the biggest surprise.

You get home with this new baby and EVERYONE wants to meet it, come say hi, talk to you about everything from your weird pregnancy cravings to your newly-designed nursery.  Sometimes friends you haven't even spoken to in years will start coming out of the woodwork for these strange conversations.

However, after a few months everything suddenly changes.  Your spouse goes back to work.  Your friends (especially if they don't have kids) go back to their normal lives and routines.  The people who were harassing you for newborn pictures most likely don't want a 37th snapshot of your little one napping (again).  You find yourself suddenly alone, all day, with this adorable, non-verbal potato to whom you are primarily a source of food and comfort.

Don't get me wrong, I looooove the new baby phase.  I would cuddle with my kids as babies for eternity if such a thing were possible.

...but a new baby isn't capable of conversation.  Even as they grow, a toddler isn't capable of stimulating conversation (unless you really like saying "yes, it's a truck" eight hundred times in a row), a younger child isn't usually going to ask you about your day or the intricacies of your work, and you'll count yourself extremely lucky if your teen emerges from their darkened, cave-like bedroom for snacks and a two-syllable grunt that vaguely resembles 'hello'.

It's not that your kids aren't great....they're just kids.  They aren't supposed to fill the emotional role of a friend, confidante, or psychological shoulder you can lean on.

But this leaves a heck of a void, because what kids will do is isolate you (with responsibilities, busy schedules, and simple self-preservation) to the point where you don't have the time, energy, or strength left to seek out other social support to actually fill this void.

Mom loneliness is a real thing.