top of page
Search

Welcome to Matrescence

 

Matrescence

Become mother, become room, become food,

become miracle. The heart of each devours

the other’s heart. Hurry—become faster. Barely

made myself, I knew what they said meant

my body was a door, made for someone else

to come through. Become sacrament.

The commandments I kept, the ones

I couldn’t keep—all practice before

this one. Become sacrosanct. In birth, the pain

is not like other pain. In birth, the pain is purpose-

ful and anticipatory. Anticipate. Become vanishing

act. Become numb, shaved, cut, split, crazy with pain—

become bare beneath the wide washed

lights of medicine and angels—become everything

and so nothing, and no one, but a mother,

a miracle room, a heart in someone else’s mouth.

-Sophia Stid, 2019

As you become a mother it seems you don’t only have an obligation to fulfill your child's needs, but also a role that is dictated and judged by society who enforces heavy standards onto you with no support, society throws you into motherhood with no resources. In the words of Sophia, it sounds poetic, but the truth of her words reflects how deep this transition cuts into women’s lives and who they are as individuals. Losing themselves to give care to others, forgetting about caring for their selves first. I feel there is a lack of understanding how impactful this transition is on women, and it affects not only their physical health but also their mental health.

 

After years of neglect and delayed research about the changes women encounter during pregnancy and after birth, we are only now beginning to recognize and validate the term ‘Matrescence’. As cited in ProQuest “Understanding the maternal brain in the context of the mental load of motherhood” (2024),  matrescence has only been acknowledged in recent years. The issues mothers face during pregnancy and then afterbirth is more than just “mommy brain” there is a biological name for this, and it is Matrescence. So, for so many years women have had to endure these biological changes with no resources for themselves, stuck with a feeling of anxiety not being sure how to label what they were experiencing. Most resources are for the children once they arrive, but this is the first term that focuses solely on mothers. Once women give birth its, go…go...go they don’t have time to stop nonetheless sleep and care for their wellbeing.

Things like:

  • Sleep deprivation

  • Not eating properly

  • Dehydration

Everyday life occurrences can contribute to making this transition more difficult to process.

Why look into Matrescence education?


Spring Nature Link’s article Improving maternal well-being: a matrescence education pilot study for new mothers, 2025 explains how "matrescence is comparable to adolescence". It does not only produce physical changes in a woman’s body but also in her brain and in the way she identifies herself moving forward. “Matrescence, a term introduced by medical anthropologist Dana Raphael in 1973, defines the transition to motherhood as a developmental rite of passage, much like adolescence, with biological and social implication.” (Victor Trinko, Julia Sarewitz, Aurelie Athan). Providing literacy about Matrescence is providing relief for mothers.


Ignorance is not bliss it’s the opposite. Without this information mothers can fall into personal neglection not being able to differ from biological changes and struggles from the day-to-day hardship accumulation that can pile up and cause severe mental health issues and sever exhaustion. “A key component of this education involves explaining the concept of matrescence and helping them apply it to discern between clinical and non-clinical reactions to the multitude of changes they are experiencing.” (Victor Trinko, Julia Sarewitz, Aurelie Athan). Something as simple as proper information can have a big impact and provide deep relief for mothers who can then show up as the best version of themselves to care for their children.

Supporting you partner in this parenting journey


Frontiers article Executive functioning in matrescence and implications for perinatal depression states; Human parenting is a complex task and requires high-order executive functioning and effective emotional regulation to facilitate sensitive caregiving and parental coping and adaptation (34, 35). (T. Roxana Ghadimi, Clare McCormack). This shows how knowledge is power, how by providing our women with literacy about a life changing decision can empower them instead of diminishing them. If as an individual you are not capable of regulating your emotions, it will be difficult to teach a child to do it for themselves. This is not only for the mothers, but it should also become common knowledge for our society. This contributes to supporting mental health and better parenting… all in all, mothers are the biggest influence our society has so as much as they care for us, we together should care for them.

 

If you or anyone you know is expecting please share this article to help spread awareness.



 

 

 

 

 Works cited:

 

Trinko, V., Sarewitz, J. & Athan, A. Improving maternal well-being: a matrescence education pilot study for new mothers. Maternal health, neonatal and perinatal 11, 18 (2025) ( https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12220242/ )

 

Executive functioning in matrescence and implications for perinatal depression

Ghadimi, T. Roxana ; McCormack, Clare

 

Matrescence By Sophia Stid, Thesis. Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Vanderbilt University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF FINE ARTS in Creative Writing, August 9, 2019 ,Nashville, Tennessee (https://ir.vanderbilt.edu/bitstreams/5b0922c5-ce1e-4345-bdc0-ae1069da3163/download )

 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page