by Claudia Boyd-Barrett posted in Parenting

Those physical, psychological and emotional changes you go through after the birth of your child now have a name: matrescence.
Traditionally used by anthropologists, the term refers to the process of becoming a mother. Reproductive psychiatrist Alexandra Sacks, M.D., argues that matrescence is a transition period that women and healthcare providers need to pay more attention to.
Sacks says we should think of matrescence in the same way we think of adolescence. Much like teenagers transitioning into adulthood, women becoming mothers experience physical, hormonal and neurological changes along with a shift in their identities. That can feel uncomfortable, she writes in the New York Times.
Research shows women's brains actually change after having a baby. Not in the negative, memory-impaired way some people believe, often referred to as "mommy brain." In fact, scientists think women's brains may become mentally and emotionally sharper to help them care for their babies and interpret their cries and facial expressions, Sacks writes.
The psychiatrist says there are four key things to look out for in matrescence:
? Changing family dynamics: A baby can alter relationships with partners, siblings and friends in good and also challenging ways.
? Ambivalence: Sacks says this is the push and pull women feel as they try to juggle the new responsibilities of motherhood while also caring for themselves.
? Fantasy versus reality: Ha...