You’ve probably spent months preparing for labour, birth, and feeding your baby. But there’s one thing most women aren’t warned about: the emotional shift that happens when you become a mother. This shift has a name. It’s called matrescence—the process of becoming a mother. And just like adolescence, it’s a complete identity transformation.

💡 Your body changes. Your brain changes. Your relationships change. Your entire sense of self shifts.

And if you’ve ever thought “I love my baby, but I don’t feel like ME anymore”—you’re not alone.

So today, let’s talk about:

✔ Why you feel different after birth

✔ Why identity loss is normal (but not permanent)

✔ How to reconnect with yourself while embracing this new version of you

⛔ Why Motherhood Feels Like an Identity Crisis

1️⃣ Your Brain Physically Changes

Scientists have found that a mother’s brain literally rewires itself after birth—boosting emotional sensitivity, intuition, and protection instincts.
This is why you feel hyper-aware of your baby’s needs but might struggle to focus on other things.

2️⃣ You Lose Some Aspects of Your Old Life

The freedom you once had shifts—spontaneous trips, long showers, uninterrupted sleep? Different now.
You might miss the version of yourself who wasn’t responsible for another life 24/7.

3️⃣ Your Priorities Change, and So Do Your Relationships

Some friendships might feel different—especially if they don’t understand your new reality.
Your relationship with your partner might shift—not because you love them less, but because your focus is divided.

💡 This doesn’t mean you’ve lost yourself. It means you’re evolving.

🔥 How to Navigate the Emotional Shift of Motherhood

1️⃣ Accept That It’s Okay to Grieve Your Old Life

Missing your pre-baby freedom doesn’t mean you love your child any less.
💡 You can be grateful for motherhood and still long for parts of who you were before.
🚀 It’s okay to feel both at the same time.

2️⃣ Find Small Ways to Stay Connected to YOU

💡 Motherhood expands your identity—it doesn’t have to erase it.

✔ What did you love before motherhood? Find ways to bring small pieces of it back.✔ Love music? Make playlists for your daily routines.✔ Love books? Listen to audiobooks while feeding or walking with baby.✔ Love movement? Try slow postpartum-friendly exercises.

🚀 The key is small, manageable moments that make you feel like YOU.

3️⃣ Lean Into the Community of Motherhood

Motherhood can feel lonely—but you are not alone.
Join other women who are in the same stage as you.
Talk openly about your struggles—because when you do, you realise EVERYONE feels this way at some point.

💡 If you don’t have a strong support system, consider joining the “Awakened Mums” WhatsApp group—it’s a space where real, raw motherhood is embraced.

4️⃣ Give Yourself Permission to Change

Motherhood isn’t about “getting back to who you were.”
It’s about becoming who you were always meant to be.
You are still YOU—just a new version, with deeper love, strength, and wisdom.

🚀 The more you surrender to this shift, the more powerful you become.

💡 What This Means for You

✔ You’re not broken. You’re evolving.

✔ It’s okay to miss your old life. It’s okay to love your new one.

✔ You don’t have to “find yourself” again—because you’re right here, growing every day.

So today, ask yourself:

💡 What’s one small thing I can do to reconnect with myself today?

💡 Who in my life truly understands this transition I’m going through?

💡 How can I honour this new version of me without pressure to “bounce back” to my old self?

🚀 You are still YOU. And you are becoming something even greater.

27. The Emotional Side of Motherhood: Navigating the Identity Shift

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