AimsThis study examines the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on postpartum mothers in England, with the aim of identifying opportunities to improve maternal experience and wellbeing. The postpartum/postnatal period is widely acknowledged as a time when mothers require greater levels of support from multiple sources. However, stay-at-home orders, commonly known as “lockdown,” deployed in some countries to limit COVID-19 transmission reduced access to support. In England, many postpartum mothers navigated household isolation within an intensive mothering and expert parenting culture. Examining the impact of lockdown may reveal strengths and weaknesses in current policy and practice.Subject and methodsWe conducted online focus groups involving 20 mothers living in London, England, with “lockdown babies,” following up on our earlier online survey on social support and maternal wellbeing. We thematically analysed focus group transcripts, and identified key themes aroundLockdown ExperienceandDeterminants of Lockdown Experience.ResultsParticipants raised some positives of lockdown, includingfostering connectionsandprotection from external expectations, but also raised many negatives, includingsocial isolation,institutional abandonment,andintense relationships within the household. Potential reasons behind variations in lockdown experience includephysical environments,timing of birth, andnumber of children. Our findings reflect how current systems may be “trapping” some families into the male-breadwinner/female-caregiver family model, while intensive mothering and expert parenting culture may be increasing maternal stress and undermining responsive mothering.ConclusionsFacilitating partners to stay at home during the postpartum period (e.g., increasing paternity leave and flexible working) and establishing peer/community support to decentre reliance on professional parenting experts may promote positive postpartum maternal experience and wellbeing.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10389-023-01922-4.