A few days ago, I stumbled across a New York Times article from last year called The Birth of a Mother. The piece discusses matrescence — the transition into motherhood — and some of the common emotional challenges experienced by new mothers. I could relate to much of what was in the article, particularly the part about ambivalence.
In my experience, few new mothers talk about these things openly. Our society tends to focus far more on the baby than the mother, and once birth has occurred, we expect mothers (and fathers) to be themselves again in no time. Many women internalize these unrealistic expectations, and they hide the disappointment they inevitably feel because they believe they are supposed to be feeling pure joy.
