🧠 Matrescence: The invisible revolution of the maternal brain

🌱 1. What is matrescence?

Imagine an upheaval so profound that it changes your brain, your emotions, and your place in the world… without anyone being able to name it. This is what millions of women experience as they transition into motherhood.

The term “matrescence” (from the English matrescence, inspired by the Latin mater, “mother”) was coined in 1973 by anthropologist Dana Raphael. It refers to the full range of physiological, psychological, and social changes a woman goes through during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period.

Yet, 50 years later, this word does not appear in any major dictionary—not Larousse, Oxford, or Merriam-Webster. An absurdity when you consider that terms like “IDGAF” are officially listed in them.

“If we can’t name something, how can we support it? How can we prepare for it? It’s about feeling seen and understood.”

— Michelle Battersby, president of Peanut

📢 A petition to have matrescence officially recognized

In 2024, the Peanut app and the Tommee Tippee brand launched a hard-hitting campaign: a full-page ad in the New York Times bearing this message:
“IDGAF is in the dictionary. Matrescence isn’t. It’s time to pay attention to mothers.”

The definition proposed for dictionaries:

• 1 The physical, psychological, emotional, and social process of becoming a mother.
• 2 The most profound neurological reorganization of the adult human brain observed to date.

🔬 2. The science behind matrescence

Matrescence is not simply a “difficult period” or the “baby blues.” It is a brain transformation comparable to adolescence, as neuroscience demonstrates.

🧬 The brain restructures during and after pregnancy

A study published in Nature Neuroscience (2016) reveals that:

• ▼ Gray matter decreases in certain areas linked to theory of mind, improving the ability to decode the baby’s needs.
• ⏱ These changes last for at least two years after childbirth.
• ❤ The reward circuit is altered, strengthening maternal attachment.

“My brain was now literally a new brain.”

— Lucy Jones, author of Matrescence: On Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood (2024)

🔄 A metamorphosis as intense as puberty

Researchers compare matrescence to adolescence in three respects:

🏛️ 3. A revealing silence: the societal problem

The absence of a word to describe this transition says a great deal about the place of mothers in our society.

💼 Motherhood, invisible and undervalued labor

Lucy Jones, author of Matrescence, points the finger at industrial capitalism:

“It is convenient to keep maternal labor hidden and undervalued for economic reasons. An exhausted or isolated mother is less likely to demand her rights.”

— Lucy Jones

🏥 Maternal isolation, a public health crisis

The WHO has warned about the isolation of new mothers, a major factor in postpartum depression. Without words to describe their experience, many feel:

“Without a term to describe matrescence, we medicalize a normal experience and ignore the social conditions that make motherhood so difficult.”

— Lucy Jones

📊 4. Matrescence in numbers

The data speak for themselves. Matrescence is a universal phenomenon, but one that is largely ignored:

💪 5. How to take action and support mothers

The first step is to name this phenomenon. Here’s how you can contribute in practical ways:

✅ 3-step action plan

• 1 Sign the petition — Ask dictionaries and tech giants (Google, Apple) to add the term “matrescence.”
• 2 Talk about matrescence with those around you — Share this article, use the word in conversations and on social media (#Matrescence).
• 3 Demand better support — Call for routine postpartum consultations, as in Sweden, where mothers receive free psychological follow-up.

📚 6. Resources and useful links