Mom brain has a name, and it's not what you think!
/We joke about "mom brain," but becoming a mom really does change your brain. It grows, its neural connections shift and strengthen, and the way you see the world gets refocused. That change has a name: matrescence.
So what is matrescence? It's the developmental stage of becoming a mother. Like adolescence, matrescence is a complete shift, not just to your body, but to your hormonal system, your neurological system, and your entire identity: how you see the world, and how the world sees you. Also like adolescence, you go in as one person and come out the same person, but somehow different. Unlike adolescence, though, matrescence isn't talked about, at the time of writing, the term isn't even in most dictionaries.
When I mention it in my postpartum classes, it's often the first time a mom has heard the word. And yet every mother, no matter how she entered motherhood, experiences matrescence. So what's going on?
Once a baby is born, the focus turns almost entirely to the baby, and moms are expected to "bounce back, physically and emotionally, into a completely new role. Not knowing exactly who you are anymore, not sure where the "you" from before went, feeling like you've lost yourself: all of that is completely normal. It's just rarely named.
Matrescence isn't the same as postpartum depression, anxiety, or other mood disorders, those are real, serious mental health concerns. Matrescence is something every mother goes through, and it doesn't have to be negative. Like adolescence, people experience it differently: some hated the teen years, some loved them. But whatever it feels like for you, support helps.
Part of that support is simply naming it. Knowing that what you're feeling has a name, and more research behind it than ever before ,can be a relief on its own. From there, understanding what's actually happening (the rewired brain, the hormonal shifts, the changed worldview) is the next step. And knowing you're not alone matters too: that sense of losing yourself is something nearly every mother has felt at some point. Connecting with other moms going through it is one of the most grounding things you can do.
If you want more support in motherhood, join my newsletter and follow me on Instagram for motherhood education, and be the first to know about an upcoming matrescence event.