The perinatal and maternal mental health writing I wish I'd had

This is where I write about the parts of trying for, carrying, losing, birthing and raising a baby that we don't talk about enough. Wherever you are on the path to parenthood, I hope something here helps you feel a little less alone.

Navigating matrescence

Intrusive Thoughts After Birth: The Scary Thoughts New Parents Don't Say Out Loud

It arrives out of nowhere. You are carrying your baby down the stairs, or standing by the bath, or watching them sleep, and a sudden, horrible image or thought flashes through your mind. Something terrible happening to them. Or, worse and harder to admit, something you might do. It is gone as fast as it came, but it leaves you shaken, sick with guilt, and certain you must be the only person in the world who has ever thought such a thing. You are not. And it does not mean what

Madison Jacoby

Jul 243 min read

A photo of me in my early days of matrescence

Matrescence: Why You Feel Like a Stranger to Yourself Since Having a Baby

Everyone told you your life would change. What no one quite explained was that you would change. Not just your routine or your sleep or your body, but your sense of who you are. You catch sight of yourself and feel like you are looking for someone who used to be there. You love your baby completely and still, quietly, you miss the person you were before. There is a word for this, and learning it can be a genuine relief. It is called matrescence. What matrescence means Matresc

Madison Jacoby

Jul 84 min read