More than a parent.

In many countries it’s routine after birth, and most people here would benefit from at least one visit. Leaking, heaviness, or pain with sex aren’t things you have to live with — a pelvic floor PT can assess and treat what a six-week check often skips.

Matrescence is the developmental shift into motherhood — like adolescence, but for becoming a mother. Body, hormones, identity, and relationships all change at once. Naming it helps: you’re not failing, you’re transforming.

Because everything changed at once — sleep, roles, bandwidth, and who does what. Feeling like roommates is incredibly common and not a verdict on your relationship. Naming the mental load and rebuilding connection on purpose is the work, and it’s learnable.

Start before you’re back: a phased return if you can, childcare locked in, and a frank conversation with your manager about the first few weeks. The version of you that returns is allowed to be different — and a coach who knows this transition can help you negotiate it.

Deeply normal — and rarely talked about honestly. The old you isn’t gone; she’s reorganizing. Identity, friendships, ambition, and your body all shift in matrescence. A therapist who works with this can help you find your way back to yourself.

Start absurdly small — ten minutes is real. Trade coverage with a partner or friend, lower the bar on everything optional, and treat your own needs as logistics worth scheduling, not a reward you earn after everything else is done.