[Matrescence: The Developmental Earthquake of Motherhood]-[Dr Edna Lekgabe - New Baby… New Brain… Matrescence.]

The Imperfects · B2 · 2026-04-27

📋 Summary

Matrescence: The Developmental Earthquake of Motherhood

In the latest episode of The Imperfects, psychiatrist Dr. Edna Licabe provides a profound exploration of matrescence—a term that remains absent from most dictionaries despite describing a universal biological and psychological transition. Dr. Licabe defines matrescence as the "motherhood equivalent of adolescence," characterizing it as a "developmental earthquake" that fundamentally reshapes a woman's identity, brain structure, and social cognition.

The Concept of Matrescence

Coined in 1973 by anthropologist Dana Raphael, matrescence is not an illness but a profound period of growth. Similar to how puberty marks the transition from childhood to adulthood, matrescence marks the shift from womanhood to motherhood. Dr. Licabe highlights that while adolescence has been studied since the early 1900s, the scientific and social understanding of matrescence remains in its infancy. The lack of terminology often leaves women feeling isolated, leading them to misinterpret this normal developmental phase as depression or anxiety.

The Neuroscience of Motherhood

Dr. Licabe explains that the brain undergoes significant "renovation" during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Utilizing studies from 2009 and 2016, she details how synaptic pruning—the process of removing unnecessary neural connections to enhance efficiency—occurs in the brain's social cognition and empathy centers.

Key biological shifts include:

Amygdala Activation: The brain's "threat center" becomes hyper-alert to ensure the survival of the infant, often resulting in persistent worry.
Structural Shrinkage: The cortex experiences a temporary reduction in volume, which many colloquially refer to as "baby brain," but is actually a specialized rewiring for caregiving.
Sensory Heightening: The thalamus reconfigures, making women more sensitive to sound, light, and micro-signals, which is essential for reading an infant's needs but can feel overwhelming in a modern, Western environment.

The Push-Pull Dynamics

Dr. Licabe emphasizes the "push-pull" phenomenon described by psychiatrist Alexandra Sachs. Women experience a biological pull to focus entirely on the infant’s survival, while simultaneously feeling a push from their "old self"—the need for sleep, autonomy, and social engagement. This state of "normal ambivalence" is often misunderstood. When society imposes the expectation that motherhood should be a purely joyous, selfless experience, women experiencing this ambivalence often internalize it as a failure, leading to clinical depression or anxiety.

Challenging the "Have It All" Narrative

One of the most critical takeaways from the discussion is the myth that women can "have it all" simultaneously. Dr. Licabe argues that while women can achieve career success and motherhood, they cannot sustain 100% capacity in all domains at once. The pressure to "bounce back" to a pre-baby identity is damaging. She suggests that partners and employers must recognize that matrescence is a permanent shift; the woman who returns to work is not the same person who left, as her values and priorities have been biologically and psychologically reconfigured.

The Role of Support and Recognition

Dr. Licabe notes that in many Asian and African cultures, traditions like the 40-day confinement period provide a necessary buffer for women to adjust. In contrast, Western society often ignores this transition, focusing solely on the baby. She urges society to:

Acknowledge Matrescence: By naming the process, we reduce the stigma surrounding the "darker" or more difficult aspects of early motherhood.
Support the Non-Birthing Partner: Dr. Licabe reveals that men also experience a version of this transition, dubbed "patrescence," characterized by hormonal shifts (such as a drop in testosterone) and a new, protective territorial instinct.
Redefine Workplace Culture: Companies should facilitate transitions by understanding that a mother returning to work brings enhanced empathy and creativity, provided the environment allows for the necessary flexibility.

Ultimately, Dr. Licabe’s message is one of empowerment through understanding. By reframing motherhood not as a state of being that one must "fix" or "get through," but as a significant developmental milestone, we can better support women—and their partners—as they navigate this permanent and transformative change.

🎯Key Sentences

Something moves, something changes in a woman.

It's like a renovation happening in there.

Everything on the outside looks the same.

Don't you dare.

I will not do that.

Expand All

📝Key Phrases

developmental earthquake

synaptic pruning

colloquially known as

front of mind

normal ambivalence

Expand All

📖 Transcript

What is matrescence?

Matrescence is the motherhood equivalent of adolescence.

It's like puberty 2.0.

I call it a developmental earthquake and no one else can feel it.

Dr. Edna Licabe specializes in perinatal and reproductive psychiatry.

In this episode, Dr Edna will guide us through the concept of matrescence, what it is and how we can support women going through it, as well as mental illness.

In this episode, Dr Edna will guide us through the concept of matrescence, what it is it's a wonderful word, by the way, but what it is and how we can support women going through it, as well as mental illness that women are at risk of during this period, and how to navigate diagnosis and treatment.

And I think, had an extremely difficult six months and was worse than she ever was during the grieving process of her mum, and I think she would be blown away to hear of this concept of matrescence and what's happening and it would explain so much as to why it was so different and so heavy and so dark during that time.

And so I just wondered if neurodivergence is a thing that you see a lot pop up for new mums, because all of a sudden, from what I've read and what I understand, women are very good at masking neurodivergence and then it might potentially be harder to mask when there's so much going on neurologically.

Mm-hmm. you hear that all the time i just don't feel like me i'm like what does that mean what what do you mean i don't know i used to love traveling i used to love this i used to love that there is a drive to go back but it doesn't feel the same because There's an ideal of what it should look like.

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