If you have ever given birth, you may have suffered from “mom brain,” which is characterized by a phenomenon called “matrescence.” Keep reading to find out how it affects new moms and, surprisingly enough, new dads too.
When women give birth, their brains change, going through a process similar to puberty, Ashton Scherrer, a psychologist in Indiana, told USA Today in an interview. This process is called “matrescence.” Scherrer said it can feel isolating and scary for some women, but it is completely normal, and some women even come to see it as a sort of superpower.
“Matrescence is literally the process of becoming a mother. It is the physical, psychological, emotional and social transformation a woman goes through when they become a mom,” said Michelle Battersby, president of Peanut, a social networking app for moms. “And it is also the most profound neurological change an adult human brain will ever go through.”
However, new mothers are not the only ones who go through matrescence. Scherrer shared that new fathers and non-birthing parents also experience it. For fathers, the phenomenon is called “patrescence.”
“We’re learning how to engage with children, and we’re learning what their cries mean,” Scherrer said. “And the instinctual part of it is the wanting to care for the next generation.”
Going through matrescence can bring about feelings of low self-esteem, which can lead many to feel as if they are experiencing postpartum depression. However, there is a distinct line between the two.
“Postpartum depression can’t be the only way women talk about the emotional ramifications of motherhood,” said Jess Ringgenberg, cofounder and managing partner of the workforce strategy company ELIXR Solutions. “‘Mom brain’ is not this foggy-headed, forgetful woman,” she said. “It is a supercharged brain.”
