05/09/2026
Each Mother’s Day I like to bring light to all Mothers whether they have birthed a child or not.
Today I’d like to give a shout out to those mothers who suffered in postpartum. I was reminded of this photo I posted two years ago and when I see it I see the excitement and all the friends cheering me on. I see the old me, looking forward to all of the wonderful experiences I hope to have. But after my birth, I cocooned and shielded myself and baby from everyone and everything because my birth experience was very traumatic. I couldn’t bear any more issues, complications, or friction, so I buried myself in the care for my child.
I had a friend say it takes two years to feel like yourself again and she’s not wrong. It’s been 19 months since Harrison’s birth and I am finally stating to see the light at the end of the literal tunnel I made. Despite gaining the best human to ever come into my existence, I had to grieve the temporary loss of so much; my self, career, sleep, livelihood, self care and so much more. Then I discovered the word matrescence and it all made sense.
Matrescence is the profound process of becoming a mother, encompassing the physical, psychological, social, and emotional changes a woman experiences. Similar to adolescence, it is a developmental phase involving hormonal shifts, body changes, and identity transformation, often spanning years rather than weeks. And really what it means is you never return to who you used to be, ever. You are forever changed physically, mentally, on all levels. So much of this is never talked about and it just blows my mind that either it’s not something people are interested in unless you’ve gone through it, or the women who have gone through it just can’t bring themselves to even talk about it because it’s such a huge shift in their lives, how can anyone relate?
So today I salute the Mother’s who have been through it and to those who have actually made it through to the other side, I see you, I am with you, I hear you, I am you. 🌸💗🙏