Matrescence - The powerful word mothers are rarely told about.

Have you ever felt like becoming a mother has changed you in ways you never expected? Like you're still "you" but also someone entirely new?

That's matrescence—the profound identity transformation that happens when a woman becomes a mother. Just as adolescence describes the journey from child to adult, matrescence captures your evolution from woman to mother.

I discovered the concept of matrescence several years into my own motherhood experience, at a time when I was struggling deeply with depression and burnout. Finding this word was nothing short of revolutionary for me—suddenly, there was language for what I'd been experiencing. Understanding that I was going through a profound, natural transformation rather than simply failing at motherhood was the turning point in my recovery. This is why matrescence has become central to my work with mothers today.

This transformation touches every part of you—physically, emotionally, socially, and psychologically. One day you're living your life with familiar routines and a clear sense of self, and suddenly you're thrust into a new reality where your identity feels both expanded and uncertain. That disorienting feeling of "Who am I now?" isn't something wrong with you—it's a natural, necessary part of becoming a mother.

Many women describe feeling caught between two worlds: mourning aspects of their pre-baby life while simultaneously falling in love with their new role. You might feel deeply fulfilled by motherhood one moment, then grieve your former freedom the next. This push-pull is completely normal, yet we rarely talk about it honestly. Instead, there's enormous pressure to embrace motherhood with nothing but joy and gratitude, making it even harder when your experience includes complicated feelings.

The cultural script tells us that "good mothers" naturally know what to do, sacrifice willingly, and find complete fulfillment in caring for others. But these unspoken rules aren't based in reality—they're ideals that set us up for feelings of inadequacy and failure. Understanding matrescence, as I discovered in my own life, helps you recognize these impossible standards for what they are: social constructs, not measures of your worth or ability as a mother.