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 matters.
When you understand that feeling different, questioning yourself and wondering where you fit can be part of a much bigger transition, you can stop seeing yourself as the problem, but understanding is only the beginning.
You're not meant to stay stuck in the question, “Who am I?”
Motherhood invites you to ask,
WHO AM I CHOOSING TO BE?
Not who you were before or who you think you should be.
And not what you think a “good mum” is supposed to be but...
Who do you want to be?
And what would it look like to actually start living as her?
That's the work of Mother Bloomed.
To understand what's changed.
To question what you've been told you should want.
To get clear on what matters now.
To choose who you want to be.
And then take intentional action to bring that woman into your everyday life.
Motherhood changes the woman.
YOU GET TO CHOOSE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.