Peanut and Tommee Tippee highlight loneliness crisis in mothers

58% of mothers are forcing smiles to hide their loneliness.

This is the staggering statistic at the heart of a hard hitting new campaign, led by Peanut, to mark Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week.

To highlight this loneliness epidemic and break the silence, statues across London have been masked with ‘forced smiles’ to spark a conversation about the need for more open and honest conversation about maternal mental health. 

Peanut teamed up with Tommee Tippee to break the stigma, spark honest conversations, and ensure no mother feels alone in her experience.

Eight statues across London have today been adorned with ‘forced smiles’ - a striking symbol of the unspoken pressure on mums to appear fine while suffering in silence. The installation reflects the experience of 58% of mothers who said they didn’t think anyone realised how lonely they were, so they simply smiled and carried on.

The new research has found that mothers' loneliness remains shrouded in silence, with many mums more comfortable discussing perineal tears from labour or postnatal sex than addressing mental health struggles or feelings of isolation.

The campaign aims to reassure mothers across the UK that they are not alone in their struggles. 94% experience loneliness, which begins in pregnancy, with 54% of mums finding this time particularly isolating. It peaks after giving birth, with 75% of mothers experiencing difficulty during the first three months postpartum.

As one mother Caitlan, who was interviewed for the campaign explains, “I don’t feel myself and feel embarrassed to say I’m lonely, it wasn’t that people weren’t there for me it’s that people just say “well you’re pregnant” and feeling left out of normal activities because I was pregnant and now have a baby.”

The impact of silence is lasting: 75% said loneliness affected their mental health, 69% felt a loss of identity, 63% saw their confidence plummet, and 53% felt they had failed for struggling. 43% have never shared their feelings, with 62% fearing they’d burden others, 59% thinking they should just ‘get on with it’, and 51% feeling deep shame.

The sense of loneliness that mothers feel is being exacerbated by the tendency to ‘compare and despair’ with that great life you aren’t living on social media. 

Michelle Kennedy, CEO of Peanut, explained, “Mothers are forcing smiles outwardly and then suffering alone across the UK. Motherhood is the ultimate ‘insta vs reality’ moment - and mothers feel that they should be so happy to have a healthy baby that their feelings should be put on the back burner.”

According to Kennedy, the tendency to mask or ignore challenging feelings is having a negative impact on mothers’ mental health. She explained: “The lack of conversation in this space means that 76% of mums told us they were surprised that having kids was so isolating, which is largely due to the silence that surrounds this topic overall. This forced happiness is also making the situation far worse, as many don’t realise that others are masking their true feelings too. We hope that this campaign will highlight to mums everywhere that they are not alone, they don’t have to just ‘keep calm and carry on smiling’ and that help is out there.” 

Mothers who were interviewed for the campaign underlined just how damaging this ‘keep calm and carry on’ approach can be to their mental health. In an environment in which they feel they cannot be honest, blame can become internalised, thus further exacerbating their sense of loneliness.

Dizney shared how everything changed for her as a mum, she explained: “After becoming a mum, everything shifted. Suddenly, I was never truly alone, my son was always there, but the loneliness I felt was deeper, more complex, and much harder to carry. It wasn’t about physical isolation anymore. It was the emotional kind, the kind where you’re constantly giving, constantly present for someone else, yet still feeling unseen yourself.”

Lifting the lid on the so often wordless experience of motherhood, she shared: “Loneliness made the days feel longer, the doubts louder, and the weight of everything heavier. It crept into the quiet moments, but also into the chaos. It made me retreat inward, second-guess myself more, and feel like I was just moving through the motions some days.” 

Alisha, another mother suffering from loneliness, explained the sense of loss that came hand in hand with motherhood, saying: “I feel at a loss of my own identity. Currently on maternity leave, and I don't have anything to do or hardly anyone to see. It makes me feel worthless, undeserving, down. Overall, loneliness has affected my anxiety even more. I feel trapped. I want to get out, but I don't know where to go.”

The campaign team’s research underlines that opening up the conversation about parenting loneliness would have helped, say 43% of mothers, with 56% adding that connecting with other mothers would have made a real difference. 

Justin Irwin, CEO of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, added: "We’re delighted to team up with Peanut and Tommee Tippee to highlight the impact of loneliness and isolation on maternal mental health. Today’s stunt is our way of reaching out to every mum who might be struggling, to say: you don't have to put on a brave face. Your mental health matters. Whatever you’re feeling, there’s a community ready to listen and help you find the support you deserve." 

For more information or to access mental health support, mothers are encouraged to visit the Maternal Mental Health Alliance’s Information Centre at maternalmentalhealthalliance.org/parents and find a community on the Peanut App.