From expectation to reality: Parents’ experiences of pregnancy, birth, and life with a newborn (NCT, 19 January 2025)

Summary

New research from NCT, the UK’s charity for pregnancy, parents and progress, provides rare insight into what it is like to be a parent today. The report reveals six out of ten new parents say they feel lonely or isolated at least some of the time (62%), with more than one in ten (12%) saying they always felt lonely after having a baby. 

While the majority of parents enjoy the early days of parenthood, nearly nine in ten (87%) report feeling overwhelmed sometimes, often, or always during the postnatal period.

Based on a survey of more than 2,000 new and expectant parents, NCT’s findings capture how families are navigating pregnancy, birth and early parenthood within a maternity system under immense strain and scrutiny.

Content

The research also explored the experiences of 500 women and people who were pregnant at the time of the survey. More than half said they: 

•   Worry about their mental health (59%)
•  Worry they won’t be good parents (52%) 
•  Worry they won’t have the skills to look after their baby (51%) 

These worries sit alongside serious safety concerns, with nearly six in ten pregnant women and people telling us they worried if the place they wanted to give birth would be safe (56%).

Parents also reported feeling unsupported during labour and birth, describing a lack of personalised care, listening, and genuine choices; mirroring themes emerging in the National Investigation into Maternity and Neonatal Care.

More than one in three women and parents who have recently given birth felt their baby’s safety and wellbeing was at risk during labour (38%), while nearly a quarter did not feel safe themselves during birth (22%).

NCT also asked about giving consent during labour. Around one in five women and people who had given birth said they:

•   Did not feel listened to (23%) and weren’t given the information they needed by staff (20%) 
•  Did not feel able to make informed decisions (22%) 
•  Did not give consent for every decision that was made about their care (16%).