When you become a mother, the identity shift is colossal, but so is the… silence. There’s talk of the lack of sleep, the challenges of breastfeeding, how tired you'll be. But no one warns you about the hormonal, mental and physical impacts of motherhood. How you might not recognise yourself. How vulnerable you can feel. The transformation you will undergo. The words are hard to find.

It has a name, Matrescence, and we need to talk about it.

After I gave birth to our first baby, I felt such a mix of emotions in terms of who I was. No one had warned me. Women around me have asked "when do I go back to myself?" They’ve expressed a fear of losing themselves after they give birth. They’ve felt lonely. Underprepared. Even crazy. They’re not.

But where’s the discussion about this intense transition? The new version of yourself you have to uncover while navigating parenthood for the first time? How do you keep your relationships intact when there isn't even time to do the dishes, or brush your hair, or notice that stain (there is always a stain, now) on your jumper? Let alone go back to a career... How do you exist in this new reality and reconcile the new you with the old?

Join me as I talk about the personal transformation that happens when women become mums—through discussions with those who have lived it, and professionals who can shine a light on the science behind some of these astronomical emotional and mental shifts.

It’s my hope that the more we talk, the more we’ll be able to express and understand this seismic change, and that in hearing each other’s stories we’ll be able to re-discover and re-center ourselves. Or just feel a little less alone.

Mummafication: a new podcast and safe space for women to discuss all the things we wish we'd been told.

Without judgement.

With honesty, humility, and a ton of compassion.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/mummafication.

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