WHAT IS MATRESCENCE?
YOU'VE HEARD OF ADOLESCENCE. BUT HAVE YOU HEARD OF MATRESCENCE?
Most of us grow up knowing that adolescence is a huge period of change.
Your body changes. Your brain, you're figuring out who you are and where you fit in the world.
We expect it to be messy, to feel different, to question things.
But when it comes to becoming a mother, we're often given a very different story.
You're pregnant.
You have a baby.
And you're expected to simply step into being a mum.
But becoming a mother is so much more than having a baby.
IT'S A TRANSFORMATION OF THE WOMAN, TOO.
That's where Matrescence comes in.
MATRESCENCE IS THE TRANSITION INTO MOTHERHOOD.
Medical anthropologist Dana Raphael coined the term in the 1970s to describe the profound physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, and social transformation that can happen when a woman becomes a mother.
It's often compared to adolescence because, you're not the same person on the other side.
The way you see yourself, your partner, your career, your friendships, your time, your body and your future can all shift.
And sometimes, the woman you thought you were going to be as a mother doesn't quite match the woman you actually become.
That's Matrescence.
AND IT CAN FEEL CONFUSING.
Because you can love your baby deeply...
…and still miss your old life.
You can be incredibly grateful...
…and still want more.
You can love being a mum...
…and still feel like something is missing.
You can know motherhood is exactly where you're meant to be...
…and still wonder, “Where do I fit in all of this?”
None of these things make you a bad mother or mean that you're failing at motherhood.
They make you human.
And they are part of the complexity of becoming a mum.
THE PART WE DON'T TALK ABOUT ENOUGH
So much preparation for motherhood focuses on the baby.
What to buy.
What to expect.
How to feed them.
How to sleep.
How to care for them.
But far less attention goes to the woman changing alongside them.
Who is she now?
What matters to her now?
What does she want?
What does she need?
What parts of her old identity still fit?
What parts no longer do?
What beliefs about being a “good mum” has she absorbed?
And what does she want motherhood to look like for her?
These aren't selfish questions.
They're important ones.
THIS IS WHERE MOTHER BLOOMED BEGINS.
Understanding matrescence can help you make sense of what's changed. But understanding is only the beginning.
You don't have to spend your life wondering who you are now. You get to decide who you want to be.
What do you want for yourself? What matters to you now? What have you been putting aside? And what would it look like to start making room for those things in your life?
Not who you were before children. Not who you think you should be as a mother.
Who do you want to be and what are you ready to do about it?
THAT'S THE WORK OF MOTHER BLOOMED.
To help you get clear on what you want for yourself, challenge the expectations that have been shaping your choices, and start creating a life where you matter, too.
Because you can love being a mum and still want more for yourself.
You don't have to choose between the woman and the mother you want to be.
Motherhood changes you. You get to decide what comes next.
YOU GET TO CHOOSE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.