{"id":2558,"date":"2022-02-01T07:20:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-31T20:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/?p=2558"},"modified":"2023-09-09T22:23:49","modified_gmt":"2023-09-09T12:23:49","slug":"navigating-realities-new-motherhood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/navigating-realities-new-motherhood\/","title":{"rendered":"From Maiden to Mother: Navigating the Realities of New Motherhood"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Preparing for the reality of post\u2013partum and your transition into motherhood<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By Alita Blanchard<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early motherhood can be a shock to the system. Birth doesn\u2019t always go to plan. There are sleepless nights, crying (often from baby and mama) and a rollercoaster of emotions that new parents often aren\u2019t prepared for. Then there is the onslaught of advice, the frictions that might arise and perhaps the preconceived plans for a happy newborn phase that sometimes does not eventuate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no denying that a baby arriving is a gift and often the greatest moment of every parent\u2019s life. We also need to talk more about the realities of new motherhood. Mothers can get left behind, unseen and unsupported, in their vital new role as mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Motherhood changes you \u2013 it\u2019s your \u2018Matrescence\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Mothers in our society are expected to birth a baby and then return, as quickly as possible, to looking, feeling, and behaving like their \u2018old self\u2019 or \u2018normal\u2019. We feel this pressure from the outside world, and we\u2019ve been conditioned to believe it too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, this is changing. Women are realising that \u2018snapping back\u2019 is neither possible nor something we want for ourselves. We are remembering that this transformation from Maiden to Mother is a rite of passage. And what exactly is that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going through a rite of passage means there is no going back to our old self. There is no return to normal. Because the whole point of a rite of passage is deep change, transformation and growth.
In becoming a mother, you are entering a new season of your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There will be new challenges. New values. So much new learning. Your body will change \u2013 in all the more obvious ways but did you know even your brain is majorly up levelled in pregnancy, creating new brain pathways? You might experience super smell, more sensitive taste, more advanced social reasoning, emotional intelligence and even general intelligence.
We need to change the mainstream stories around Motherhood to honour the physical, emotional, relational, and often spiritual transformations that women experience. To find ways to honour mothers and their needs. Let\u2019s start, for example, with the basic needs of a new mother for adequate support and rest, which so many women are not receiving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make the bigger society\u2013level changes, we must start by looking within, at our own core beliefs around the value of motherhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pregnancy: research and get prepared<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A new pregnancy often comes with a busy focus on researching and buying the \u2018right\u2019 pram, cot, nursery decorations, baby clothes and baby showers. And we might focus a lot on labour and birth, without also \u2018rehearsing\u2019 the weeks that will follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How would our society and the conversation about motherhood be different, if we could enjoy these activities, but also put time and energy into a different sort of \u2018nesting\u2019?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of the most vital considerations for early post\u2013partum that will set mother and baby up for a nurtured and connected transition to motherhood:<\/p>\n\n\n\n