Name: A new way to think about the transition to motherhood
Uploaded: 2018-08-30T19:45:55Z
Duration: 6 min 6 s
Description: When a baby is born, so is a mother -- but the natural (and sometimes unsteady) process of transition to motherhood is often silenced by shame or misdiagnosed as postpartum depression. In this quick, informative talk, reproductive psychiatrist Alexandra Sacks breaks down the emotional tug-of-war of becoming a new mother -- and shares a term that could help describe it: matrescence.

Alexandra Sacks: A new way to think about the transition to motherhood

A new way to think about the transition to motherhood

When a baby is born, so is a mother -- but the natural (and sometimes unsteady) process of transition to motherhood is often silenced by shame or misdiagnosed as postpartum depression. In this quick, informative talk, reproductive psychiatrist Alexandra Sacks breaks down the emotional tug-of-war of becoming a new mother -- and shares a term that could help describe it: matrescence.

The emotional upheaval of becoming a mother is as real and tumultuous as adolescence, yet it remains unnamed in medical textbooks and often misunderstood. Many new mothers expect to feel instantly joyful and instinctively competent but are instead confronted by conflicting emotions and self-doubt. The talk introduces the term 'matrescence' to describe this natural, challenging process, arguing that confusion and discomfort are common, not pathological. Naming this transition helps women feel less isolated and opens the door for honest conversations about what new motherhood really feels like.