A Generation Z woman from Missouri is going viral for speaking up about the lonely side of pregnancy.
Olivia Milligan (@olivia.ruthie) posted a clip on TikTok where she is sitting alone eating sherbet on a Friday night with her cats because contact with friends has fallen by the wayside since she got pregnant.
Milligan, who is in her third trimester, told Newsweek that, before she got pregnant, she would be hanging around with friends and having fun on the weekends.
@olivia.ruthie
“And then it feels like the minute I got pregnant and told my friends that I got pregnant, they stopped showing up,” the 20-year-old said. “No one checks in on you anymore, and if they are checking on you, it’s to check in on the baby.”
Milligan said that the only people who are there for her are her partner, 23-year-old Skyler Nelson, and her mother.
“Other than that, we really only have each other, so it can be lonely,” Milligan added.
Loneliness during pregnancy is a significant concern among younger women. A 2023 study published in BMC Psychiatry found that 38 percent of pregnant women reported feeling lonely at least some of the time.
Milligan highlighted the disparity between her life before pregnancy and now, revealing that she has minimal to no contact with friends.
“I have a few that I still talk to or hang around with once a month to go to a farmers’ market or go shopping but, other than that, I don’t text or call anybody,” Milligan told Newsweek. “I feel like it kind of showed their true colors.”
As a result, the mom-to-be said that she has now become more introverted since she’s been pregnant.
To help her combat loneliness, Milligan finds comfort in her dog and two cats. TikTok has also become a resourceful outlet, especially as it relates to her video, which has amassed over 313,000 views.
“It’s reached thousands [and] people all over the world have commented on the video and said they feel the same,” Milligan said. “I’m so glad I’m not the only one who has this feeling going on.”
Many pregnant women did resonate with the clip. One user wrote that, with their husband gone all day and night, they feel “alone and drained.”
Another commented that pregnancy is isolating and, even if you are invited to something, she doesn’t have the energy.
For other moms in a similar situation, Milligan, who is expecting a baby girl in August, advised to embrace the loneliness.
“I feel like, once she comes, I’m going to be anything but lonely,” she said. “Having a daughter to me is almost like having a small friend, like a little best friend. I’m really excited for that because that’s how me and my mom were.”
