A term is coming to the fore of late: Matrescence. It signals the time of transitioning in to becoming a mother. This becoming is a process that often takes many years and unfurls as the journey of motherhood progresses. Each mother will recognise herself at a different stage in this journey of becoming.
When a baby is born so is a mother. When a new baby arrives there is, rightfully, cause for much celebration in the welcoming of this new life. Sometimes, what is lost can be cast into the shadows. There is a natural grieving process that accompanies this time and many, in our culture, can resist this and are not held through it.
Many mothers can feel isolated, faced with difficult emotions they did not expect and struggling with body image as their body inevitably changes and their shape shifts in relationship with the world around them. Many mothers can experience a sense of a loss of self, a deep transition from who they knew themselves to be to the becoming of something emergent and changed.
The exhaustive impact of resisting this can halt mothers in a deeply important process of welcoming a deeper and richer part of themselves, which also includes the composting of a part that may no longer take root in its new environment. Compost allows life to thrive, nourishes and feeds it.
Embracing matrescence and exploring the transitional themes that may be arising around it for the mother can offer invaluable support through this life changing transition.
If you are seeking in person support with your journey of matrescence in the Totnes area, please do be in touch: hayley@somanature.org
