Understanding Matrescence: The Transition Into Motherhood
Matrescence is the profound, often overwhelming transition a woman experiences as she becomes a mother. It affects every part of life—identity, relationships, body, career, emotions, and sense of self. While it is completely normal, many women feel blindsided by how intense and disorienting the experience can be.
If you’re a new mother who feels anxious, disconnected, guilty, or overwhelmed, therapy can help you make sense of these changes and feel more grounded.
Signs You May Be Struggling With a Perinatal Mood Disorder
New mothers often reach out for support when they notice:
- Feeling like you’ve “lost yourself”
- Identity confusion or difficulty recognizing who you are now
- Guilt or shame for wanting space, independence, rest, or help
- Feeling emotionally overwhelmed or tearful
- Anxiety, irritability, or constant worry
- Mental load fatigue
- Feeling touched-out or overstimulated
- Struggles bonding with baby
- Changes in your relationship or sense of partnership
- Pressure to “be grateful” while privately struggling
You are not broken. You are not failing. You are transitioning—and transitions require support.
How Therapy Helps
Therapy offers a safe, warm, emotionally validating space to explore the many layers of new motherhood. Together, we can address:
- Anxiety and intrusive thoughts
- Overwhelm and emotional burnout
- Perfectionism in motherhood
- Postpartum identity shifts
- Relationship changes and partner communication
- Boundary-setting with family and work
- Processing birth trauma or unexpected birth experiences
- Adjusting to breastfeeding challenges, sleep deprivation, and new routines
- Feelings of isolation, resentment, or grief for your “old life”
You’ll learn practical tools to regulate your emotions, reduce overwhelm, and reconnect with who you are becoming.
My Specialty in Supporting New Mothers
As a psychologist specializing in maternal and perinatal mental health in Metro Detroit, I offer therapy that understands the realities of new motherhood—emotionally, physically, and culturally. My approach blends compassion, clinical expertise, and real-world solutions.
New mothers choose my practice because they value:
- A warm, nonjudgmental space
- Specialized training in postpartum mental health
- Support for both emotional and identity-based challenges
- A therapist who understands high-achieving women navigating matrescence
- A modern, culturally attuned understanding of motherhood
- Flexible solutions for exhausted, overwhelmed new moms
You don’t have to navigate this transition alone.
Therapy for New Mothers Who Want to Feel Like Themselves Again
In therapy, we work together to help you:
- Feel more grounded and stable
- Strengthen your sense of identity
- Regulate anxiety and mood swings
- Set healthy boundaries
- Reduce perfectionism and unrealistic expectations
- Rebuild confidence in your role as a mother
- Feel more connected to yourself and your baby
- Create a sustainable rhythm that works for your family
Motherhood doesn’t require losing yourself. Therapy helps you integrate the parts of who you were with who you are becoming.
Serving New Mothers Across Metro Detroit
Located in Bloomfield Hills, I provide therapy for new mothers in:
- Birmingham
- Troy
- Royal Oak
- West Bloomfield
- Rochester
- Auburn Hills
- And throughout the Metro Detroit region
Online therapy is also available across Michigan.
Ready to Feel Supported in Your Postpartum Journey?
If you are a new mother struggling with identity, emotions, or the overwhelming transition becoming a mother, you deserve support. Therapy can help you feel more steady, connected, and confident as you step into this new chapter.
Schedule a consultation to begin your support journey