Do We Need a New Word for Motherhood?

This week, Emily and Lilli are unpacking the campaign led by Michelle Battersby, who recently took out a full-page ad in The New York Times calling for the word matrescence — the developmental transition into motherhood — to be officially recognised.The girls reflect on whether becoming a mother felt like adding to who they already were, or quietly becoming someone new. They talk about identity grief and joy coexisting, the loss of autonomy no one quite prepares you for, shifting careers and friendships, relationship recalibration, and the pressure to “bounce back” physically while barely having space to emotionally recalibrate.They share that without language for the transition, parts of early motherhood can feel like personal failure rather than developmental change — and that knowing the word matrescence earlier might have made them feel less alone and more understood.The girls also explore whether naming something actually matters. From the neuroscience of labelling emotions (yes, the amygdala gets involved) to the cultural power of giving experiences legitimacy, they ask: what changes when we finally have the words.A thoughtful conversation about motherhood, identity, and the quiet rebuilding that happens in seasons of transition.Follow us on Instagram @suddenlythirtypodcast to stay up to date with what we’ve been up to, behind the scenes and future episodes.Subscribe to the Suddenly Thirty Substack where we collate all the things we’ve been into this week and share them with you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.