On Matrescence and the Rite of Passage into Motherhood

Photo by: Ksenia Ragozina at Shutterstock.com.

When I moved to Charlotte, NC, I immediately did the most on-brand thing possible for me: I started a book club. Reading is my favorite hobby, and talking about what I’ve read is a close second, so The Perinatal Pages was inevitable.

It’s a book club and networking group for perinatal mental health professionals - a place where we talk about the books that shape our understanding of pregnancy, parenthood, and the psychological transformations that unfold in between.

Our first read was Matrescence: On Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood by Lucy Jones, and let me tell you, this book completely captivated me. (Just ask my husband, now an unofficial matrescence expert by proximity.)

Matrescence, a term coined by anthropologist Dana Raphael in the 1970s, names the profound transformation a woman undergoes as she becomes a mother - physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and social. The word itself invites us to recognize motherhood as a rite of passage, not just an event, but a becoming.

In this essay, I explore:
🌿 What “matrescence” means and why it matters
🦋 How this transformation mirrors adolescence in its intensity and upheaval
💫 The importance of expanding the concept to include all parents, not only those who give birth
🧡 What it would mean to honor parenthood as a developmental process, rather than expecting an instant identity shift

If you’re a parent, a professional, or simply someone who wants to better understand the emotional landscape of becoming a caregiver, I think you’ll find resonance in this one.

Read the full essay on Substack!

If you’re interested in learning more about my counseling approach, visit my About Me page, or subscribe to my Substack to read more reflections on parenthood, grief, and transformation.