My best friend of 18 years basically told me we've grown apart because our priorities are different after she had a baby what to do? (25f and 25f)

I'm 25F and my best friend is 24F. We've known each other since we were around 7 years old and have been through pretty much every major life event together. When I moved away years ago, we maintained a long-distance friendship and always made an effort to visit each other. She was also my Maid of honor at my Wedding.

About a year and a half ago, she had a baby. The father is no longer involved. Their relationship was extremely toxic, and during that time I did everything I could to support her. My husband and I helped her when she moved out, I was there during the pregnancy, and after the baby was born I regularly drove about an hour each way whenever she needed help or support.

She even considers me the baby's unofficial godmother because of how close we've always been.

Since her daughter's first birthday in December, though, something changed. Communication became very one-sided. I would text her for Christmas, New Year's, ask how she and the baby were doing, check in regularly, and usually got short responses. She rarely initiated conversations and never really continued them.

Last week I finally asked if something had happened or if I had done something wrong. I tried to be careful and use "I" statements rather than accusing her of anything.
She replied that we simply have different priorities now. Her daughter is her priority which i knew and had zero problems with, while mine are things like travel, concerts, and other activities. She also said that when she asked what I was up to and I talked about trips or concerts, it felt like I was rubbing it in her face because she can't do those things anymore.

That honestly surprised me because I never intended it that way. I was just answering her questions and would usually ask about her and her daughter too.

She also said that when I visited, I sometimes seemed distracted because I would occasionally look at my phone. I admitted that this may have happened and apologized if it made her feel ignored. At the same time, I felt that we'd both noticed some distance growing between us because sometimes we'd sit together in silence with very little to talk about, which had never been the case before.

One thing that hurt me was that after the baby was born, I was always the one traveling to see her. She had told me that once things got easier with the baby, she'd come visit me too, but that never happened and she never brought it up again. I understand how difficult life with a baby can be, so I never pushed the issue, but it still made me feel like I was putting in more effort. She lives with her parents so she has a really good Support system!

I care deeply about her and don't want to lose an 18-year friendship. At the end of my response, I asked whether it's simply easier for her right now to connect with other mothers because they're in the same stage of life.

I'm struggling because I genuinely tried to support her through some of the hardest years of her life, and now I feel like I'm being told that our friendship no longer fits into her life.

Am I missing something here? Is this just a normal friendship drifting apart because of different life stages, or is there something more I should be doing?

Posted Jun 15, 2026, 12:50 PM UTC

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