For the first time, the mother is finally feeling validated and normal in her experience simply by learning just this one word! And of course, now her desire is to share it with her partner with hopes that her partner will understand her experience too. So will he/she understand it? Maybe more broadly, but really deeply get it? Ehh, that might take some time; honestly…if ever.

When a woman becomes a mother she is UNDONE and RE-DONE; she is LOST and the FOUND; she is DISORIENTED and then REORIENTED. To what, you might ask? That is for her to cultivate, create and fall into (with intention and design). If you aren’t already feeling validated in your experience by knowing there is a word to describe all the changes you have been feeling since becoming a mother…here is more.

Matrescence is the profound shift from woman to mother that impacts her in every facet of her life. Knowing this one word has the power to completely change how you think about yourself as a mother.

Setting boundaries with our families can be such a tricky and confusing road to navigate especially once you are already with baby in arms. (Best to be as proactive as possible, if possible.) We’re all too often stuck in a pattern/dynamic with our family that we’ve agreed to over the years (even without knowing), that once we become Mamas, might not fit us appropriately anymore. We’ve outgrown it and it's time for a change.

For a new mother, overwhelmed by her emotions and experience, asking “How are you?” might be just the out she needs to not talk about her real feelings. Try these questions instead.

Mama, today you are reflected in Mother Earth's transition of two polarities merging. Inherent in your journey of becoming a Mother, you are being born from woman to Mother.

Our postpartum bodies bring up such mixed emotions - gratitude for the baby they birthed yet also frustration at it’s appearance. Back bounce culture is brutal. Yet our bodies are the physical representation of all the ways in which we’ve changed since becoming a mother.

It isn't about "knowing what to do" all the time, or feeling confident in your decisions all the time. Motherhood is about the unknown, the in between, the mixed up feelings and thoughts. It's about the push-pull.