The role of the Postpartum Doula during your transition to parenthood is to provide care for newborns in their first weeks of life, teach new parents about newborn care, and support the profound changes parents experience during this time of transition.
Becoming a new mother and father can feel complicated and emotional. It also affects every single aspect of someone’s life.
The word Matrescence was coined by the anthropologist Dana Raphael, the same anthropologist who coined the word “Doula” as “the process of becoming a mother, a developmental passage where a woman transitions, through pre-conception, pregnancy and birth, surrogacy, or adoption to the postnatal period and beyond. The exact length of matrescence is individual, recurs with each child. The scope of the changes encompasses multiple parts of a parent’s life. Biological, emotional, social, and spiritual, and can be likened to the developmental push of adolescence” (Aurelie Athan, 2026).
If you are feeling the impact of Matrescence and want more information or to speak with therapists.
We have excellent support in NYC.
Book by: Alexandra Sacks & Catherine Birndorf – What No One Tells You
The authors are two local NYC reproductive psychiatrists, and there is in-person support available from
Dr Birndorf and the staff of the Motherhood Center, in New York City. https://themotherhoodcenter.com
Alexandra Sacks, who helped popularize the term “matrescence” in mainstream psychology.
The book offers practical insight into the emotional realities of becoming a mother, including identity shifts, anxiety, ambivalence, relationships, and expectations
Matrescence.com – “What Is Matrescence?” The website is one of the foundational educational resources on the topic. This site explains matrescence as a developmental transition akin to adolescence, helping mothers understand the profound identity shifts that can occur during pregnancy and the postpartum period. It also discusses the importance of integrating matrescence into healthcare, psychology, and public policy.
Lucy Jones – Matrescence: On Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood An excellent book blending memoir, science, sociology, and cultural criticism to explore motherhood as a major human transformation. Jones examines how society undervalues maternal change and why understanding matrescence matters for maternal mental health and identity.
Jessie Harrold – Mother Becoming: Reflections and Scholarship on Matrescence An anthology edited by matrescence educator and author Jessie Harrold that brings together scholars, therapists, writers, and mothers exploring the transition into motherhood. Combining research, personal essays, poetry, and clinical perspectives, Mother Becoming examines identity shifts, ambivalence, relationships, mental health, spirituality, and cultural expectations surrounding motherhood. The collection positions matrescence not as a crisis to “bounce back” from, but as a profound developmental transformation deserving of support and recognition
NIH / PubMed – “Matrescence: Lifetime Impact of Motherhood on Cognition and the Brain” A research-focused paper examining how motherhood affects cognition, identity, and the brain over time. Useful for understanding the neurological and physiological dimensions of matrescence through an academic lens.